Hummingbird sentinal

[Whitwabit]

We have about 15 here this year .. a few less then last .. almost all the off spring this spring have been female and have only seen 2 males all year one being a regular nd the other was just here one day ..

They haven't started the long trip south yet here .. we will get a few to stay for a day or two according to how fat they are .. and what the night time temps get down to .. be sure to change the feeder after a rain as it can be diluted by the rain water and the little hummers need the high octane sugar water for fattening up and the long fly south ~!!

Put out an extra feeder or two and you'll draw any flying south over your property .. they might even stay a day or two !!

 

[LVSteve]

Put out an extra feeder or two and you'll draw any flying south over your property .. they might even stay a day or two !!

I have four out already!

 

[susieqz]

does anyone know what exactly triggers migration?

 

[misswired]

Last year I shot enough to literally clear a kudzu patch that was the target backstop. That triggered an early migration to the neighboring feeders. Only three or four of the diehard hummers stuck it out and the fall migrants
didn't stay long either.
A few years ago a handful of us locals on the hometown forum would eagerly discuss the springtime arrival of our' hummers. It never failed, all of us living in the same county would see our first bird within the same two consecutive days. It didn't matter if they arrived in the last week of March or the second week of April, it was always the same countywide.
The hummingbird migration map website has some really good info. If you compare the previous years maps, you'll see the arrival dates widely vary. Several years ago, hummers were spotted in Canada before our local birds here arrived!
Check out the FAQ's on that website. It's fun to watch the springtime migration progression into the U.S. ....

Sorry.... that's the ruby throat migration map....that leaves out the Western U.S migration.
My bad, that's an unfortunate mistake of misswired being miswired.

 

[Old_Cop]

They've gone south now. When sitting on the deck, I'm careful not to wear a hat with red color, it is disconcerting to have a hummingbird hovering a couple of feet from your face. I had to paint the emergency pull handle on the garage door opener black because they would fly in thinking it was a flower. They should be back in mid April.

 

[misswired]

They've gone south now. When sitting on the deck, I'm careful not to wear a hat with red color, it is disconcerting to have a hummingbird hovering a couple of feet from your face. I had to paint the emergency pull handle on the garage door opener black because they would fly in thinking it was a flower. They should be back in mid April.

That's funny....no way a hummer would hurt you.
A Yankee best friend was dodging and weaving thinking they'd poke his eyes out too....
I've had to catch a dozen or so through the years( trapped inside the house) .
They'd fly thru an open door and try to escape flying upwards into the ceiling.... Catch em with a net; turn out again. No biggy.

 

[Whitwabit]

I have four out already!

I have 8 in the front of the house 3 up next to the back..

Each one being staked out by one or two birds .. think we had a couple of migrating ones this afternoon late .. 2 stayed on the feeders for almost 10 minutes and then returned several more times just before dark .. they were drinking like they hadn't eaten ..

we had over 20 last year this time as they were passing through ..

 

[amazingflapjack]

the guard bird...

Another shot on a different part of the plant.

He's a serious looking little dude...

 

[amazingflapjack]

we have a couple of banks of Blue Plumbago that they seem to love. They are resilient plants, and came through the recent hurricane pretty much unscathed.

 

[Whitwabit]

does anyone know what exactly triggers migration?

I've heard the amount of daylight hours .. but my own observations mine leave when we get a cold night down in the upper 30's .. some seem to leave then and then there always seems to be one or two younger birds (can tell by their size) stay until it almost freezes here ..

we got down to the lower 40's and they were shivering when on the feeders as the sun came up .. we had several leave that next day .. after watching them all summer you are able to identify several of them .. we had been having a really small one come to the kitchen window and she was one that left ..

 

[misswired]

I've heard the amount of daylight hours .. but my own observations mine leave when we get a cold night down in the upper 30's .. some seem to leave then and then there always seems to be one or two younger birds (can tell by their size) stay until it almost freezes here.

Also my observation; a couple of frosts and gone before the 1st freeze.
The inter web says their main diet is insects and they only use the syrup for fuel to hunt bugs.
Makes sense to me; cooler weather, bug shortage...time to go.
They also believe the light cycle has an role in migration.
After reading through a mountain of mumbo jumbo, I don't believe the experts' really know what triggers migration.

 

[susieqz]

people claim hums just feed at red flowers.
but, i've seen them feed at tomato plants which are yellow,
also, i have bushes covered with blue flowers. they feed on those too
i'm real happy to hear they mostly eat bugs..
i have a shortage of bug eaters here, now that my kitty is eating lizards.

 

[susieqz]

people claim hums just feed at red flowers.
but, i've seen them feed at tomato plants which are yellow,
also, i have bushes covered with blue flowers. they feed on those too
i'm real happy to hear they mostly eat bugs..
i have a shortage of bug eaters here, now that my kitty is eating lizards.