We still have both feeding here in UPSTATE NY.
I usually stop feeding around Sept.5th.
This year , we had an explosion of babies. PLUS we also had a hummingbirdmoth visit a few days, they sure look unusual. if you check out www.hummingbirdmoth.com you can see more about them....
Our hummingbirds hunt us down when feeders get empty.

Yes Ive seen the hummingbird moths . Also earlier in the season I had one window feeder and it broke due to storm and untill I replaced it , it was so funny the suction cup and brackett were still attached to the window and they would land on that and peer into the window like "wheres our food" I now have four feeders two window and two hanging and I can view them all from from my pc chair and the hummers now seem happy. They practically ignore me sitting not 2ft away with the blinds open

I still have 2 males and 2 females (that I know of). One of the males is one of the most tolerant that I've ever seen; he hangs out atop an 8' stake and watches the female buzz around the flowers & the feeder. Normally when one sees the other, the chase begins, but this guy is different. I'm assuming that he only darts after her once he thinks she's had enough ;)

It is odd, tracy. Normally its about the chase. But the other evening just before dark I looked in at the two window feeders and there was four hummers feeding, all ports taken. At certain times they are more tolerant of each other. Glad to see the males havent left yet.

I've had one male visit me every morning and evening since the beginning of July -but the last time I saw him was the day before yesterday. I am not assuming he is gone, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was. I still have the other visitors though and am getting ready to say goodbye to them too....

Hey Maggie, not sure where you are located , but yes we will be saying goodbye , maybe within the next two weeks? Ive been having about 6 visitors daily and 1or 2 males, they still seem active , but the tropical storm/hurricane may move them along faster. I for one will be a sadder person when they are gone.

Hehehe; a tropical storm doesn't stop them! I noticed two fighting it out at the feeders today; a male and a female. I thought they wouldn't be out, but between them and the goldfinches at the thistle feeder, it's still been an interesting day, despite the high winds.

This is a pretty bad picture, but at 7pm, the male was fighting to stay on the feeder...

Still have both male and female in North East Ohio. The male isn't looking as disheveled as he did a week ago, which I attributed to molting.

This from yesterday:

I think my mature male (born last year) who has spent all season with me, has flown the coop. Haven't seen him since ~8/27 - 8/28 or so. He had come April 29 this year. All that is left so far are a couple mature females and a pile of juvie males! The last pics I have of my guy were last Sunday and he was almost done molting (the last parts to go are supposedly the crown and gorget).

Wishing him luck on his long journey!

yes.....we still have both male and females here in Pittsburgh, but I'm expecting them to be leaving any day now. Last year it was Sept. 8.....but this year is much cooler.

Hi everyone Im back , was gone for the long weekend, and guess what , both window feeders empty. This morning a handsome fellow arrived on my feeder , he had an all brown under his neck , other than that , he looked rt. I have pics to post, maybe not very good, but am having trouble loading them and would appreciate any help and thanks for the pics you have sent on this post. I took the shots with sisters digital and downloaded the Irfan View to resize the pics , but they are still way too big. Can someone educate me on what Im not doing right? Also Im very interested to know from any of you when is the last day this year that you see hummers. Last year I didnt pay attention when they came or left for I didnt have very many. This year Ive had several and its been awesome!

Hummersteve - I live in Rochester NY and have not seen a male since the last of August. I am seeing quite a few others though and the sugar water is being depleted. (I am at work during the day so need to look for "signs") I think they are just passing through though...
I have been able to convince my husband to come with me to the Hummer/bird festival next September in Rockport Texas. I guess thousands of hummers gather there before flying over the gulf -they also have talks, tours, etc.
I have a friend who has family in South Carolina and she says the hummers are a nuisance this time of year because there are so many of them.... Hard to believe...

Hi Maggie
I have not seen a mature male since august either, in fact I posted a picture of him over in the gallery, havent figured how over here yet. This afternoon I did see a young male , shocked me for I havent seen a male for a few days now. Yes that sounds like quite an event in texas, I hadnt heard of it before. Im sure the male I saw today is only passing thru , but he made my day. Steve

Every day I see them is a good day!
I have been scouring the nurseries for perennials on sale and stumbled on a pink/orange agastache in bloom.(can't remember the cultivar) It took about 10 minutes for the hummers to find it. It's not quite right for our zone, but it was only 4 dollars! I also bought some "Indian Pinks" on sale which are supposed to be very attractive to hummers when they are in bloom.
Are you using any plants in additon to the feeders?

Today was the first day I didn't see any hummers at all - male or female. : (
Maybe I'll be lucky the next few days and have a few hummers passing through...but I think it may be over for this year. Clink, clink - for a great season of hummingbird watching - it started out slowly for me, but ended up being one of the best years ever!

I only saw one female yesterday, which isn't the norm. I didn't see the male at all yesterday. The lone female was feeding on the "males" feeder, so I think he's gone. Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh, sniff, sniff.

Hopefully I'll get some migrators stopping by...

Tracy and Pghsteelerfan
I guess its inevitable that in your area they would be leaving at some point to start the migration and hopefully it takes them thru my area on their way south. Its so sad I know. I still see one young male ,most likely same one as yesterday and two females. Thanks for keeping me posted and Im sure my time is very limited also.
Maggie-- No I dont have any hummer flowers , I just have the feeders , which are doing a yoemans job of attracting them, I dont know why I have so many more this year than last. Id like to put some out this year , but its too late for hummers purposes this year.

Most of the summer I only saw females. A week ago a male finally showed up.

Richard

Hey Richard , enjoy them while they are here. Just this afternoon, I had 5 up from my usual 3 that I have had the past several days. I know mine are just passing thru also, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy

I don't think I've had any adult males since about August 10th or so. I thought I possibly noticed a bird with a forked tail late in August, but it was getting dark, and I didn't get a good look.

I am also in the Pittsburgh area, and saw the usual number of visits by females and immatures yesterday. I have had at least 4 birds since midsummer, based on what I could definitely observe at one time. I probably have at least a few more, but I don't see how it's possible to determine that with any certainty. In spite of my ardent pleas, they wouldn't cooperate by sitting all together at one time in a neat little row and letting me count them. They were too busy zipping around and chasing each other, defending a boundless resource of sugar water.

Yesterday, all of my feeder visitors seemed really intent on feeding, not just taking quick sips. I got the sense that they were trying to fatten themselves up for the big push southward. I wasn't around a lot today to watch, but I got the sense that their visits are starting to taper off. I definitely did not see as much feeding going on today, and that saddens me. I did see one in the late afternoon, but only just once. Normally, there would be a hummer every 10-15 minutes all day long, but as of today their visits are seeming less frequent. I'm going to have to start facing up to the sad reality that they're going to all be gone pretty soon. Then there'll be seven long hummingbirdless months, followed by an anxious month or so of waiting for the first springtime arrivals. I just about went nuts this spring wondering if they would ever return. I'll keep watching and let you know when I see my last bird. I sure hope today wasn't it for me.

By the way, I've been wondering if most of my birds are residents. I saw my first bird this year on May 2nd, and it was a male. It was a few weeks after that when I saw my first adult female. Then in July a crop of babies showed up. They were much more curious about my flowers than the adult birds had been, investigating my Monardas, discovering the Agastaches, my blue Lobelias, and Lobelia cardinalis. They also began to visit my Cardinal Climbers in mid August, when the vines began to bloom more heavily. What I noticed last year at this time, and again this year, is that I don't seem to experience a swelling in numbers of birds corresponding to migration. Others talk about getting mobs of hummingbirds, but I haven't noticed this here in my yard. Maybe I have migrants, or maybe not, but I can't really tell from the frequency of visits. It would be hard to know for sure unless I got a banding license and color marked the little rascals!

Sigh. It's a sad time of year. What am I going to do without all my cute little hummingbirds?

Hi Kristin

Nice to hear from you again , guess you got your court problems lined out. I was thinking that my hummers were about ready to leave me , because I had been having 2 or 3 in the evening when they seem to be most active then today I had 5 or 6 of the little buggers. But they are not feeding as heavy as they were. By having the window feeders to view the females up close Ive been noticing that they tend to have really big bellies or is it me or are they going to lay eggs somewhere? Also I dont have any flowers that attract hummers but I plan having some for next year. Yes its almost the time when we will see no more birds this year and I will certainly miss them for when I get up my routine is to have my coffee and sit at my pc and watch the hummers land on my window and say good morning. What will I do? What a long cold sad winter , it will be. Isnt it amazing that the antics of these tiny birds can bring so much joy to us. I never would have thought I could be so wrapped up in them. I absolutely love them , I must be going crazy. Yes I would appreciate you letting my know when is the last day you have hummers, so we can sort of track them--Steve

Last year at this time (9/8 - 9/9), I had recorded no hummer sightings until the one final sighting on the eve of 9/11/05 and that was that. But this year, I still have 2 mature females coming - although it looks like the juvie males are gone. So I am enjoying what I consider "bonus" time with these ladies for sure! Haven't noticed whether any migrators have stopped in. I guess if a fierce chattery battle sets up out there, that might be a clue of an "intruder". LOL

Steve - they should be done with egg-laying. Your lady is packing up food for the journey. One of my females is packed up and the other is only moderately hefty but I'm still monitoring them.

Hey Jennie, thats what I thought about the big bellies , but needed some other input. Its almost as sad when our adult males leave us as when they all go. I havent seen a male yet today , but its still early. I have no idea when was the last day they were here last year for I only had one or two visitors and had ony one feeder for that was all I needed and also didnt change it enough. This year I have read and learned so much about feeding and how often to change nectar and all that . I almost feel like an expert which Im not. Just more knowledgable. As far as migration is concerned I would have thought that they could leave land anywhere on the southern borders from florida to texas, but it seems that the main door out is thru texas and mexico. I know that a lot them stay in Mexico and some go on to other distant places. Dont know why that is either. As I said still learning--Steve

Steve, you sound like a pro to me. I have only been watching for a year now. Oh, how I love these little fellows. I rather wash dishes than use the dishwasher so I can watch them. My last siting was 9/26 last year. First one this year was 4/13/06 (Georgia). I have 4 feeders but for some reason they will only use the two closes to house on on the deck. They also like my latana and impatients. The male seem to be more tolerant now. I wish I could see a cloud of them like some of you. The most I have seen at once is 3-4.
Well, hopefully, I have a while longer to enjoy them. Thanks to all of you for the advice I have gotten from you for the last year.

Hey Novice60 , thanks for the compliment. Im lucky for the setup I have . I use my third bedroom as a computer room and that is where I have my two window feeders attached and also have two more feeders about 12 ft away hanging on the yard light. I can view all this from my pc window. Today I picked up an agustache plant that is supposed to really draw the hummers and as far as I know they havent touched it. I have added to my feeder collection over the summer and I too have four. At first they would only use the window feeders , then gradually used the others more and more to where I now think its about even. Today I never saw a male , only females and there were several. Im guessing that up here we may see them about another week, at least I hope. You should see them longer--Steve

Steve - according to some sources that are still researching it, there has been an indication of hummers actually travelling along the coastal gulf to get around to Mexico.

There are some interesting websites that track overwintering hummers in Georgia and Florida. It will be interesting to see how the numbers pan out. There's even a big banding site that tracks and bands RTs from South Carolina.

Regarding the agastache - I expect they have certain preferences of them as there are a number available. Last year I had 'Tutti Fruiti' which they liked. This year I have an unknown cultivar of Agastache rupestris and they will use it somewhat. They also supposedly like 'Apricot Sprite', 'Apricot Sunrise', and similar.

I have at least 1 and possibly 2 females around. Caught a pic this morning of one of them on my Salvia coccinea 'Hummingbird Red', which is next to my agastache in the pic. As a note, I live in a hi-rise apt. building on the 18th floor, so these birds are coming all the way up here! Better them than the darn pigeons.

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Jenny--nice pic. Thanks for the links and info I will take a look. Its always interesting to actually see how they might move from certain areas that also have birds that stay. I really dont know what species of Agastache I have only that the flowers are a lavender color. It really doesnt matter since its so late in the year, next year maybe they will ck it out. I havent seen any males for the last two days. I have at least two different females thou. Before I forget yes the Salvia is almost a must from what I have heard others say. I may try and get one next year. My sister got me a hummingbird calendar , so that will have to take me thru the winter.

I think my hummingbirds are all gone now. No males, no females, no immatures, NOTHING! I'll let you know if anyone shows up, but I haven't seen a single bird this entire weekend. How depressing! I try to cheer myself up imagining their courageous journey, and by reminding myself that they'll be back next year, but it's still so sad. I'm with Steve, it really is amazing how much joy they bring into what has been a very trying year for me.

So, just to sum it up, I saw my last, single bird on Friday, September 8th. There had been sort of a multiple bird feeding frenzy on Thursday evening, September 7th. Then on Friday I was gone most of the day, got home in the late afternoon, then only saw one bird at nightfall. I, too, noticed that the birds I saw feeding on Thursday looked pot-bellied. I understand they put on huge amounts of weight prior to migration, but never realized it would be so obvious. On the other hand, with birds, it's hard to tell if you're looking at a fat bird, or one with very fluffed up feathers.

As for the Agastache discussion, my two cents worth is that I have 2 pink-flowering varieties. They are "Pink Panther," a shorter one, plus "Big Bazooka," a much taller one. On numerous occasions I saw birds feeding at both varieties. I also saw them at my Salvia coccinea. By the way, Jenny, that's a gorgeous picture of the hummer at your S. coccinea. The lighting is beautiful, plus the blurred hills in the background. Nice!

To all of you who still have hummingbirds--enjoy them while they're here!

It is sept 10th and at 1:20 today , you guessed it a young male rt. Havent seen any for a few days, thought that was it for this year. He also honored me by landing on my window feeder for a full minute, allowing me watch what may have been my last siteing this year. As he would dip his head I could see a little red peeking out from under his black gorget. So you see folks , theres nothing quite like the window feeders for viewing these amazing birds. Today Im truly blessed.

I spoke too soon. Just when I thought they were all gone, I saw a single hummer today at my home made Salvia coccinea feeder. I hand make all of my feeders from small liquor bottles with realistic-looking Sculpey clay flowers. Sculpey (in case you've never heard of it) is a colored clay that you can bake to hardness in the oven at 275 degrees F. Aside from the sheer joy of the birds themselves, I've really enjoyed designing different feeders all summer and figuring out the perfect design needs and preferences. For example, through my efforts, I've learned that their reach with tongue and bill is at least 40mm, but won't go much over 50mm. I learned this when I made one of my flowers too long (about 53mm), and the poor birds would dip their bills in and come up empty! I had to break it apart and shorten it to allow the birds to get access. At first I stuck to only red flowers, but later got adventurous and tried a purple Lobelia. To my delight, they took to it immediately. Next year, I'm going to expand to white, orange, blue, and marbled combinations to see if they show any preferences.

Anyway, I had just put this new Salvia coccinea feeder out yesterday, but was disappointed that all the birds seemed to be gone. I figured I'd have to wait until next year to see if they liked it. Talk about delayed gratification!!

I was so happy to see a single bird come this afternoon and see her feeding from it. The window box with snapdragons was blocking my view, plus the late afternoon lighting made it really hard to see the throat well, but I'm pretty sure it was a female.

As I mentioned earlier, I haven't seen an adult male since early August.

omigosh! I didn't see anybody all day today (Sunday). Depressing!! Hopefully, I will see them tomorrow. I did see juvies and plump male Saturday.

Kristen , you are quite the creative person, way to go. Congrats on having another hummer arrive. If you have gotten the new blast of warmer weather that we have that would explain the hummers hanging on for a little while longer. I certainly felt honored with my male siteing today. I only saw him that one time so I guess it was just a pit stop for him. But I did have several female visitors today. I know I had at least two different females for they were fighting over the feeders. Maybe we will have a few more days to enjoy them, at least as long as the weather holds up. Thanks again for keeping me updated even if it was a false alarm. Steve