Hummingbird Spring Migration 2020
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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Jeff Bush
4 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Spring 2009 Migration of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
Comments (4)So have they found 'your' feeder(s) yet? Though the very first sitings on the map in my area was March 26th, I did not see my first hummer at the feeder until yesterday. Anyone else seeing them and seeing them regularly? Some years I tend to have more than others, though I never really have a lot like my neighbor. She has been feeding them several more years than I have and also has a pond nearby. I'm not sure if that maybe entices more to her house/feeders or not. Anyone know? Nice feeder Ronnie! Sue...See MoreHummingbird Spring Migration 2012
Comments (137)Our First Ever Hummingbird. On the way to the Kitchen tonight I saw a tiny bird fly in and land on our hummingbird feeder. About the only detail I saw looked like a flash of yellow. As I crept closer to the French doors that open onto the deck, the tiny thing saw me and darted away. Wings were a blur but it could certainly move fast. I suspect that it will get used to us eventually. We had figured they hadn't found us yet but there it was. I should have changed the food two days ago so I got out there right away and change it out for some fresh food. At least the food is no longer just going to waste as we empty it out. But it was quite exciting to get our very first ever hummingbird. The feeder was a bit low on solution, too so I think that perhaps they have been working on it for a few days and we didn't realize it. It's cleaned out and fresh now so I'll be tracking it over the next few days to see if they drain it down. At some point I'll set up a film camera on a tripod with a remote release and try to get a close up photograph of one on the feeder....See MoreHummingbird Spring Migration 2009
Comments (75)My hummers disappeared for a while, presumably nesting and concentrating on insects for the babies, although they may also have been nectaring on the rhododendron mountains up the street. Now they're back, and I see them every day at the feeder. They don't stay at the feeder for long, they just take a few sips and zip off to the flowers. The meadow phlox are blooming now and the hummers love them. Re orioles: There are myriad ways of feeding oranges and jelly; you can buy fancy feeders but they're not necessary. One easy way is to hang an orange half from a hook, or impale it on a stick. The bird will eat out the orange flesh, then you can fill the empty rind with grape or other jelly. You can also put jelly in a bowl on a deck railing. I've put orange slices in a wire suet feeder and the orioles were happy. Catbirds like the oranges and jelly too. I have photos of different methods I've tried, but I'm hesitant to slow up this thread. Claire...See MoreHummingbird Spring Migration 2016
Comments (180)I asked the ornithologist/bander, Scott Weidensaul, if I could quote from his email(s) here and he had no problem with it. spedigrees: You might be interested in his website http://www.scottweidensaul.com/hummingbirds/ which has a wealth of information on the recent movement of western hummingbirds, like the rufous, which are now beginning to appear in the East and Southeast. It sounds like you may see more of them in the next few years. In regards to ruby-throated hummingbirds that may be late to migrate, and the concerns people have as to whether to keep feeders up, he says: "I agree, looking at your photos, that the bird you have is a ruby-throat, and likely a hatch-year male based on the throat stippling. Within any population you get some birds that are programmed at the genetic level to migrate exceptionally early, and others whose instinct is to stay north as late as possible. This one could be in the latter group, or he could have something physically wrong with him that's preventing migration. Impossible to say, even sometimes examining the bird in the hand. One thing to understand is that your feeder is not somehow preventing this bird from migrating -- after all, if that were the case, we'd have evening grosbeaks and purple finches all summer at our seed feeders. I strongly urge you not to try any fancy nectar mixes -- just stick with the normal 4:1 water/white table sugar mix you use in the summer. As in summer, this bird will find plenty of insects, which comprise 60-70 percent of hummer's normal diet; there are a lot of cold-hardy midges and such even on cold days. Don't waste money on Nekton, and for the sake of the bird's health, don't try "supplementing" nectar with things like fish food and other garbage that people sometimes add to the mix. It will get a balanced diet naturally. If you're concerned about the feeder freezing up, you can easily rig a heat lamp with a 150-watt PAR/38 outdoor flood lamp in a utility hood, positioned eight or so inches to the side and above the feeder. We use that setup a lot with western hummers like rufous, Allen's and calliope that are increasingly common in the East in late fall and winter. In all likelihood he'll move on, but if he doesn't (or, more likely if he stays, can't) there's sadly not a lot you can do for him. Rubythroats lack the ability of many western species to go into deep torpor at night, but they can take temps down into the low 20s and and upper teens, and are hardier than people realize. But I'd trust his instincts to kick in eventually -- and with a full fat load from tanking up at your feeder, he'll be able to fly roughly 600 miles nonstop in about 24 hours (the same distance and time span rubythroats cover crossing the Gulf of Mexico), which can get him quickly to a warmer environment. Quite a few are now overwintering in the Carolinas, so he may even be one of those hardy birds." This is a lot to add onto a Spring Migration thread but I hope some of you will be interested. Claire...See Moredeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
4 years agocorunum z6 CT
4 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
4 years agodeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
4 years agoSue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh
4 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA thanked Sue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburghclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
4 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoJeff Bush
4 years agocorunum z6 CT
4 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
4 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
4 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
4 years agoArlene Levin
4 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
4 years agonekobus
4 years agoSue W (CT zone 6a)
4 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
4 years agocorunum z6 CT
4 years agosuzabanana (6b Boston/N. Shore)
4 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agodeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
3 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
3 years agodeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
3 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
3 years agoSue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh
3 years agodeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
3 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
3 years agoSue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh
3 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoMrsM
3 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agocorunum z6 CT
3 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
3 years agoSue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh
3 years agocorunum z6 CT
3 years agodeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
3 years agoSue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh
3 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
3 years agoSue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh
3 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
3 years agodeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
3 years agoArlene Levin
3 years agoSue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh
3 years agoArlene Levin
3 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
3 years agoSue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh
3 years ago
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Jeff Bush