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Less hummer in central Florida???

9 years ago

I have been here 2 years. This will be third summer. When I put the feeder up when I got here I have had several hummers. Frequent. As many as 5-6 at a time. Last year maybe 4ish. This year females first (usually males travel through Florida first). Now I saw one last week. None since . Feeder is correctly maintained. Is anyone aware of decreasing population/disease or problems?? Thank you.

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Comments (3)

houseonhillsboro
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
My hummingbird population here in south Arkansas has dwindled each year. Six years ago, when I first began feeding, I could take a feeder photo with as many as 18 -20 birds in one frame. This summer, I am happy to see three birds at a time, even with meticulous feeder maintenance, and that is slightly up from last summer when I saw even fewer. I keep waiting for a big expose on the rapid decline due to this or that thing we are doing to interfere but no one seems to be talking about it. I tell myself there will probably be good years and bad years for our little friends due to natural causes, but my own personal experience tells me something more sinister is going on, as it seems to be only bad years and worse years. Hope I am wrong!

I'll mention, after a frenzy following migration, my feeder patterns drop off when certain things bloom and around the time females set eggs. Maybe we forget that year to year? We should definitely see activity pick up mid to late summer.
Ed
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for your experience, also. I did read a few months ago that due to climate/weather changing, the hummers are following new flight routes during migration due to food supply and weather related wind. I agree with you regarding more sinister reasons- incorrect use of organo phosphate , killing the population. That scenario comes to mind due to the uncontrolled use in Mexico/Central and South America. Florida has extremely high use. As ER nurse, we get highest rate of organo phosphate toxicity in Florida children. I do hope I am incorrect and they will come back. They may be following the decline as are the bees.... It is so important to time any spraying on your plants. Spraying when there are blooms will kill bees/hummers besides the bad pests. Hummers dislike the smell of dishsoap- so I imagine insecticides both kill the birds and make them not want to stop by. Sigh...
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ZachS. z5 Platteville, Colorado
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in my experience, hummers prefer natural sources to the feeder and don't forget a large majority (80% I think) of their diet is insects rather than nectar. Perhaps they have found a location with more abundant preferred food sources. Also timing seems to be a big factor for the broad tailed (and occasional rufous and black chinned) hummers we get here on the Front Range. Early morning is the best time to see them, and evening is the second. I almost never see them "nectaring" in the middle of the day, although you can hear them zipping and buzzing around. Interestingly enough, thunderstorms seem to drive them to the feeders/flowers. Almost like clockwork, when one passes and the sun comes back out, you will be sure to catch them.

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