Thanks for the report, hummersteve.

Thank you for the report. Now tell them to head for Rockport, Texas since we are having our Hummer/Bird Celebration this weekend. We don't have any hummers which is unheard of for this time of the year!

Wow!! That would be dissappointing to have a hummer festival in texas and no hummers let alone embarrassing. Hey maybe you should have it in the good ole mid-west. Dont worry they are on the way, been a lot of migrators go thru here. Delay that festival for about a week and you should have them.

Yes, wouldn't that be nice to tell the attendees "Hey, we have no hummers, so we are reschulding the Celebration for next week. Go home now and come back next week!" http://www.rockporthummingbird.com/maps.html HA!

Actually this has happened a couple of times before. Oh well, as long as the little birds make it safely. I think part of the delay is the hurricane that hit the north part of the Texas coast this morning.

BTW, I'm a Hoosier by birth. My Mom and Dad live on the Tippecanoe River. I spent the month of June up there this year. There were lots of RT's there. Mom told me last week that she was still seeing lots of RT's. Maybe they will start to head south soon.

ltcollins1949,

Thanks so much for posting the website.

My sister and I have actually talked about going to that. Hopefully next year. I just can't imagine seeing soooo many Hummers. It would have to be an incredible sight which you would never forget.

Hope to be there next year. Again Thanks.

IM surprised that I still have hummers here, surely they will all be gone within the next week or two. Headed your way.

Mine are gone. Typically they leave around the beginning of October. It's weird that they left a month early. They showed up a week early this year, and I had as many as I usually do, so don't know why they left so early! Still have my feeders up, though :) Christy

Hey Steve,
I think I want to move next door to you!You have much better luck with the hummers than I do. I get jealous reading your posts;0)

Hi Steve,

This is the first year I have had Hummers *Zingers* (that is that I know of). By chance one flew right in front of me (scared me until I realized what it was) and I immediately went and got a feeder. Imagine that one Zinger turning into bunches!! I am so very glad :)

I am in Central IL and my Hummers *Zingers* are still here. I haven't spotted a male though. Activity was good today. Supposed to be a low of 39 tonite.

This might sound like an odd question or even silly....but how would the Zingers up here know that a hurricane hit the North part of the Texas coast???

I was at WBU the other day and they told me that the Zingers leave here mid-October. Now I am thinking he was wrong, they probably leave earlier....

gardengirl2--- strange that you should mention that, just happens there is a newly built home right next to mine for sale, 2story, lot of people pull in to look at it but not takers as far as I know.

lovefornature-- all creatures are blessed with a sense humans do not have, they know when and where to go. as the birds migrate , once they find a good feeding ground they will hold up there for a while to rest and refuel. Early this spring they were late getting here, at least to my area because of the extended freeze, so now maybe they will be here longer.

By the way today, for the first time in several days I had an adult male appear and he hung out all afternoon and was still on his perch just before 8pm. Also there was a good crop of hummers this evening, they were swarming my elm tree. For those of you who dont know last year the hummers left my yard well before august was over , this spring did a lot of work to make my yard my hummer friendly by adding the right plants and more feeders. It seems for a small lot I have done well enough, for once they find this place they stay for a while. Someone mentioned will they stay into oct. I dont know for Ive not had them that long, but my yard is different this year so Im hoping, but I will just take day by day, keep changing my feeders and welcome the new birds that appear in my yard and know that Im blessed by each and every one.

Thanks Steve for answering lovefornature's question about hurricanes.

It is believed that animal behavior can help predict many of "Mother Nature's" traumatic events, i.e. weather, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, etc. Apparently they have a 6th sense that we humans are not blessed with. Having lived here on the major RT migration route for many years, I have come to realize that with each front that comes through, the hummers will leave. They go in "waves" coming and going with fronts. One wave will be here, and then a norther comes through and the birds go south with it. Then a few days later another wave will come in and then again leave with the next front.

Also the fall migration seems to last longer than the spring migration. It is not known exactly why this is, but speculations point to the fact that the RT's are in a hurry to get to their breeding grounds.

Down here, we believe that it is just a late migration this year. And part of the reason we believe that is because what you all up north have been reporting about still having lots of hummers up there. Thanks for all of the information.

This is indeed a strange year for hummers. For the past several years, they go an a feeding frenzy from about August 1 until about the 20th and then they are gone. Oh maybe a few stragglers, but the bulk of them are gone. This year they have been what seems to be a feeding frenzy for over a month and there are still dozens of them here. I am putting out about a gallon of nectar each day. What is happening here. I am getting concerned for the little cutie pies.

PVP

PVP--- We have no idea where you are talking about. BTW Im having a good bunch morning and night.

Southern New Jersey. Sept 1, 2007. Still have Hummers feeding mostly in the mid or late morning at feeders and
at a site where my cardinal vine has 100+ blooms as well
as on butterfly bush. Seeing one at a time, not in pairs/
I think seeing mostly females.

Sept. 17/18-- Was able to count 13 hummers for they were perched or on a feeder, no males today. 52° this morning.

Thank you so much for helping me to learn something about Zingers 6th sense and such. I am still learning.

What is not obvious to me though is that I do not have any plantings for these tiny creatures, just 3 feeders, and they are still coming thru as of today. Of course, there will be plantings next year now that I know I am on their route.

And Kenn, WOW you seen a Male :)

Also, I feel truly blessed to see these wonderful little Zingers in my yard too. They are amazing, especially when they get up right in your face :)

And another silly question, do they usually nest/breed further up north than where some of us are located?

I do also believe that the southern states will have a late migration time.

After a week of only having ONE.. the bossy one no less.. the
2nd one is back and they are battling again. And the 2nd one
is alot fatter.. so its been pigging out somwhere else lol
But the boss had been feeding non stop all afternoon. Its
supposed to be real warm all week so maby they will stick around. They say 70s and 80s all week and 50s at night.. it
made throught high 30s at night and stuck around.