May I ask where you are in Central Florida. I usually don't see them in the summer.

I am in SE Orlando. I usually have a lot of activity from April to August. I think I saw a hummer in January hanging around in my yard, but I was never totally sure. When do you usually see them in Lakeland?
Tarilyn:)

This past winter, my first showed up on Christmas Eve, a male Ruby. Then the day before the cold spell arrived another showed up, also a male Ruby. The next day two - a female Ruby and another that turned out to be an immature female Rufous. A while later, I had what we think was a Black Chinned come. I had 3 daily regulars and some that came and left.

I had two banders come down. They caught 2 of the male Rubys and the Rufous. They usually come in Jan and Feb. If you had any then, I am sure they would be interested in visiting your yard. I was told that if you have them in May, then you must have them breeding. Mine left in April this year.

I do see them in the fall - usually just nectaring on the flowers and then they leave. Guess they are the early migrators.

Seems strange that the times are so different for you than me. Wonder why?

Hey, Mary. Good to "see" you again. We talked about the issue of who sees the hummingbirds and when in another thread last year. It seems that there is a line that changes a bit, but it starts around Merritt Island on the East and passes a bit north of Kissimmee and then across the state a bit north of you in Lakeland and then to the coast somewhere around Palm Harbor. Apparently hummers show up there in winter months primarily. The Ruby-throateds probably come up from the South and feed in your area in the winter. I think there's a group that don't migrate to Mexico, but tend to stay in Southern Florida permanently, except they do go north in the winter months. At least that is what I surmise.

I'm in Clermont and we get most of ours with the normal Ruby-throated migration that arrives here in the first part of March and then leaves in September or early October. I don't know, perhaps some go south then and visit you, Mary. People in your area and just south of you tend to report seeing hummingbirds in the winter months.

The Rufous come down from the north. I had them the December and winter before last, but I think the weather was too cold and not enough flowers were blooming for them this year, so they went further south. I suspect the same thing happened with the Black-Chinned you saw Mary. People nearer the Gulf tend to see them from time to time.

Right now I have one male and at least three females visiting daily. The male will leave very soon, but the females and their offspring will stick around through August.

What you saw, Tarilyn, was probably a mother and her young or perhaps siblings from the same nest. If they aren't closely related they generally chase each other. Two years ago I saw four at the same coral honeysuckle in late July. It had to be a mother with her two babies and another sibling from an earlier brood.

You are in my area, Tarilyn, so you stand a good chance of seeing them until late September or early October. They may come to a feeder if you put one out.
IÂll post in the Butterfly forum, Mary and we can chat more there.

Congratulations, Tarilyn.

I think in January I saw a Black chinned in my yard, but I was never quite sure. I never really saw it go to any flowers, but it would be in my oak trees in the front and back. It's behavior was different than a normal bird, so I tried to get a good look and did some research...that's what I figured out it probably was. I usually see hummers through fall here, I have plants that bloom then, but last year I seemed to stop seeing any activity in August.

I haven't had any luck this year with them at the feeders. I actually started putting them out in January when I saw what I thought was the Black Chinned. I have 3 feeders around my yard, spaced far away from one another, but we have yet to see anyone partake. I think I have so many nectar sources that they aren't interested.

That's interesting that your activity in Lakeland would be so different than mine in Orlando(near UCF).

Tarilyn:)