topic Re: Fall Hummingbird migration... in Garden

Fall Hummingbird migration...

Susan Louise — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 18:59:10 GMT

Just wanted to share...

Oh, how DH and I LOVE this time of year! Since we are birding enthusiasts, of coarse we enjoy them all, but the Fall migration period is our favorite time of year, even though bittersweet...sad to see some birds leave while others return...like the Harris's Sparrow and Juncos.

In the area where we live (eastern Nebraska), the Ruby-throated don't breed here during Spring/Summer, so we will only see some in the late Spring (end of May-early June) migrate through, and LOTS during the Fall migration. Many folks on the west coast have hummers all year long...they are SOOO lucky!

Today was one of those days I was able to spend a couple of hours outside and enjoy all of what nature has to offer. I put on my layers of clothes (it's COLD here today...BRRRRR...not even 60!), made a hot cup of coffee and put in my thermal mug, and brought the camera. I sat on our patio with full view of our gardens and the hummer feeders.

Today we have 5 of them...all juvie males. The last mature male visitor we had left yesterday morning and we have yet to have a female stop by (we document all our visitors)....should start seeing them soon!

Anyway, I completely understand their 'territorial issues', but it's too bad they can't learn to share...lol. We have more feeders out than hummers today so they can each have their own...but NOOOOO! Of coarse, they can't look at reasoning

Their chases can be fun to watch, and other times sad...especially when there is a new arrival that is rail thin and needs some nourishment and can't get to a feeder or a flower in the garden. There just is no room at the inn at times for them...poor things.

Every once in awhile they are able to sneak in past the 'guards' (those who established their 'temporary' territory) til they migrate on. I can almost read some of their minds. For example, earlier this moring there was one juvie male hummer on a branch on our porch which has 2 feeders. About 5' away, on the farthest feeder from the hummer on the branch, sat another juvie male...that just perched on the feeder and glancing over at the one on the branch as if to say "nobody here but us feeders"!

A side note...already started to see Warblers migrating through early last week...Sept 2nd! Usually we don't start seeing them migrate through til about the 3rd week of September. Between that and the temps we are having this week (we might have FROST tomorrow night!!! ), I hope that isn't an early sign of a LONG BITTER COLD winter...

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

Harpa — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 19:41:08 GMT

I enjoyed your post, Susan Louise. You do sound like quite a bird enthusiast. Have you ever done the bird counts? Those are fun, and since you know your birds, I'm sure you can contribute a lot.

I had a strange hum season, and soon they will up & leave. Finally I bought a different feeder (bee proof); I just keep one. But it was pretty quiet the whole hum season long.

We're in a Canadian geese fly zone of sorts, and I am so happy they planted corn around us, which will draw them in. I really do have a thing for geese, their flying formations & even their chatter, even though I wouldn't want them on my lawn. The cooler air and moving fronts will bring them this way, so I'm looking forward to that.

I have no idea what our winter will bring. I heard or maybe read an old wives' tale that when the weeds are high, the snow will be a lot. Weeds in the fields around here seem kind of short to me.

Enjoy your birds! I haven't listened to my bird songs in a long time, because who has cassette tape players anymore!?

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

itsmagic — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 20:06:05 GMT

I love watching the hummingbirds too. I also bought a new bee proof feeder just a couple days ago. My old feeder was fine until recently it started attracting many bees. After watching the bees chase away the hummingbirds, I said to myself - that's it - I'm getting a new bee proof feeder! Unfortunately since then I haven't seen any hummers. It is very cool here too so I hope they haven't already left for the season.

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

fthunt — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 20:24:46 GMT

The hummers have left central New York and I thought they were headed for warmer areas; but you state how cold it is where you live and you're watching the migration. I'm surprised since we're told they head for Mexico and South America. Did some make a wrong turn LOL ?

I took down the feeder (w/ant guard) down Tuesday. The Ruby-Red DOES breed here during the summer and the last one I saw a week ago was a tiny little green "H" - I'd guess a baby female. Fighting over the feed has been going on during August, which happens when those flying through invade other "H" territory.

They won't be back in my area until late May. Here comes winter!!!!!

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

marsh234 — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 20:33:24 GMT

Loved your post, have had hummers for years but this is the first year that we have had 2 that have been so territorial over the 2 feeders we have out. We live in central Indiana and it's just now getting cool weather. Yesterday we had torrential rains and there they were, one perched on the top of the little stand that the feeder hangs from and the other one on the tomato cage that is next to the hanging feeder on the outside of the patio. They sit there all day and into dusk so that the other one doesn't come over and steal his food. Needless to say, they were drenched and since it was quite windy they really had to hang on. Love these little guys and wish them luck on their pending journey.

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

PilatesLover — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 20:36:08 GMT

I loved your post! I am preparing to bid farewell to my summer guests. I have the meanest alpha female this year. She is so mean I named her Leona! Early in the summer, after the babies began arriving at the feeder, she would let them feed together. Soon she was chasing them. And her poor hen-pecked mate! The morning ritual was, she would hide in the lilacs, and he would arrive all sleepy-eyed at the feeder, groom and stretch, then begin to feed. Swift as an arrow Leona would swoop in and beat him up!

The male seems to have left early - I don't blame him!

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

capecdcat1 — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 20:49:23 GMT

Had one at our hanging plant this morning!Love how they like to look right at we humans as if inspecting us for nectar too!Beautiful gray/bright green color.So cute!!!!

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

Tzu4u — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:04:38 GMT

Here in NW Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie, there have been more hummers in my garden than I have seen in 25 years. I have seen up to a dozen at a time buzzing our flowers and feeders. They are nature's jewels.

They are very busy today fattening up for their big trip. I hate to see them go.

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

geezerette — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:14:02 GMT

We live in the mid-south and have hummingbirds from mid-April to mid-October (I can almost set my calendar by how punctual they are). Right now they’re getting themselves beefed up for migration as soon as our first cold snap hits (it’s still very warm here). We have approximately 50-60 birds, and they are frenetic! We used to live the in southwest and had many different varieties but not as many, and they stayed all year.

There are a few that like to sit atop the feeders and try to guard their territory, but now there are just so many birds that they don’t have much luck hogging anything. Even though there are many disputes among them, when they get tired enough there will be an entire feeder full of hummingbirds (one on each hole) just quietly drinking and tolerating each other until one comes in from the woods and scatters the whole group. They keep me hopping filling up the feeders as they go through at least 10 cups of solution per day right now.

As they leave in small groups, the ones that are left calm down. Then one day, not a one appears and you know they’re gone for the season. But they’ll be back next spring ready to go at it all over again. In the meantime, I'll be feeding the songbirds during the winter.

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

KJPA — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 22:33:23 GMT

I had a nice long reply and questions and of course this stupid web page wiped it all out

First, thanks to everyone for posting. Your writings are all so entertaining and I enjoyed them immensely.

Second, how can I coax hummers into my yard? I saw one in June and another in July. The second time he flew up and looked me right in the eye. I could have reached out and touched him but I didn't move a muscle!! He flew up into a tree and I haven't seen one since.

I have a nice feeder, make my own sugar solution (3 to 1) and hang it on a shepherd's hook in the middle of a RED honeysuckle vine! What more could the little suckers ask for? We have three large trees in our back yard, the feeder hangs next to a west-facing window in the backyard, and gets about 2-3 hours of direct sun each day. Shade the rest of the time.

We have lots, I mean LOTS of other birds in our yard. Not sure what you guys think is a lot but I have used one tube feeder all summer and I go through 25 lbs of sunflower chips every month. To me that's a lot of birds eating My mother calls our house the Bird Diner, open 24 hours a day. She was actually scared the first time they showed up because they were making a lot of noise in their "waiting line" we call trees. It calmed down after a day or so. I guess they got their territories straight!!

The largest birds are the doves but there are only a few of them. The biggest eaters are the goldfinches, purple martins (I think,) and sparrows. We also have robins, chickadees, a few cardinals, and occasionally a duck or goose wanders by. I've seen one or two woodpeckers and Blue Jays too. But not lately. Even the starlings seem to be gone now but I don't miss them.

Do I have too many birds for the hummers to feel comfortable? Is there not enough sun? Too much sun? Do they need water nearby? There is plenty of cover for them with all the bushes and trees we have but we don't have many flowers in the backyard. I tried having a birdbath but the squirrels get in it and knock it over

Any ideas for me to prepare for next year's hummers? I had the feeder out right on time this year!! TIA

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

blueskies — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 22:40:36 GMT

Susan Louise , lol, I enjoyed reading your comment about the hummingbirds . Yes , it's too bad they don't learn to share ! We used to put a feeder by the kitchen window & loved seeing them visit . It had 4 feeding ports , but if a 2 nd bird showed up , omg ! Lots of fluttering ! ........Even after we stopped hanging the feeder a few years ago , every Spring they'd visit that window , looking for the feeder for a few years . They have amazing memories . Unreal . ..........enjoy the Fall weather ! The weather can't make up it's mind here yet .....Summer,Fall, Summer, Fall .....lol.

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

blueskies — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 22:57:13 GMT

KJPA , wow , your yard sounds beautiful . Regarding your question , I'm wondering if your feeder solution is too sweet for them ? I make mine in a ratio of 4 parts water to 1 part sugar . Bring it to a boil for a minute , then let it cool before pouring in feeder . I only make enough to store in the fridge for about 3 days . I change the solution 3 times a week in very hot weather . I got all this info from instructions that were with the new feeder . .......btw, I found a good way to remember the ratio I read about ( 4:1 ) by thinking of a hand ....4 fingers & 1 thumb . Otherwise , I'd have to look it up again every Spring , lol.

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

Lilysmom — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 23:02:31 GMT

Our hummers left our home in Nova Scotia, Canada around September 8th this year. That is a full week earlier than normal. I would also note that they came a few days earlier this year ... Around May 12th. I was interested to hear fthunt's comments as she is not too far from me in NY.

KJPA, our hummers don't seem to mind other birds in our yard. We do keep a fair distance (12-15') between feeders though so they are not too close together. We are big gardeners here. By far, the flower that the hummers love best in my yard is bee balm. I have deep red bee balm and they are always in it. I have lots of other red colors but they seem to go for that the most. I have four or five drifts of bee balm to keep them busy.

You should hang the feeders high enough so the hummers don't have to worry about prey also.

I hear differing recipes for food. We use half sugar and half boiling water,cooled of course. The only other thing I hear is that they don't like wasps or bees around the feeders

No expert here but those are the tips I've heard over the years. Just love to see the birds. Thanks for sharing your stories.

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

Susan Louise — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 23:03:30 GMT

Thanks everyone for your responses! A few of you I think would benefit from reading info about hummingbirds...either online or in reference books. I will give some info, but I could write extremely long posts explaining everything...lol. I learned all the info I know myself doing the same thing several years ago. If you truly enjoy hummers, getting to know some of the basic facts, for example, will help give you guidelines on when to put out and bring in your feeders, let you know which hummer species is around you (with exceptions on rare visits from species who have either a misguided compass...or possibly have gone off coarse due to storms/cold fronts/etc). We have various hummingbird species in the US...although not nearly as many as in South and Central America though! Someday DH and I hope to make a trek down to Costa Rica to see all the hummer species there...it's on our bucket list!

For those of you that don't know, mainly along the west coast of the US the species of hummingbirds are Anna's, Rufus, Black-chinned, Buff-bellied, Costa's, Allen's and a few others. The mid-west, central US through to the east coast is mainly just the Ruby-throated. For us here in central US (Nebraska doesn't get anymore central...lol), 99% of the time we have just Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. We have had 3 Rufus Hummingbirds here since 2007, just to give you some idea on why I used the word 'mainly' and highlighted it.

There are many sites online to learn more info...hummingbird forums, specific sites for hummingbird info like hummingbird dot net which also has specific maps for each species and their main ranges. Some Hummingbirds migrate, others don't too...see? So much info out there for those wanting to know...HTH

Harpa: Yes, we do the Christmas Bird Counts here and I also post my sightings to E-Bird on a regular basis...especially when we have rare bird sightings like Rufus Hummingbird visitors we have had here too.

Itsmagic: It was nice of you to get a new feeder for your visitors! I don't know what state you live in, however you should still see them migrating for quite awhile yet. The migration period hasn't even peaked yet. It starts for us about mid-August til late October. You may not see as many as the migration season continues on or as often on some days...depends on the weather sometimes.

Hummers don't necessarily fly due north or south during the migrations. Their direction varies for many reasons...winds, storms, food sources they know of (if they are not juvies), etc. For example, we probably get birds from the north as far west as Washington or as far east as the Great Lakes areas...Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc...and as far north as Canada like most everyone will have visitors passing through from there...isn't that cool?!!!

Some hummers stick around for just a sip or two (if they have a full belly and the winds are in their favor), and others will stay for several days...depends on how much rest or refueling they need when they reach your home/gardens/feeders. Some may have just come from a 'fueling station' at a park with lots of flowers, or a neighbor's home just up the street from you and they just take a sip or two to 'top off the tank'...so to speak. Other migrators probably had to travel several miles (some as many as 60+) before finding your feeder/s in a single day, so they will stay longer. Sometimes a storm is about to go through, or it's rainy in your area for a few days...they will continue on their journey the next nice day if they are fueled up with a full belly

fthunt: As I mentioned to Itsmagic, you will still get hummingbirds for awhile yet. However, unless you have a camera (we have security camera on all of our feeders), it will be hard to see their infrequent visits. Early mornings and late afternoon hours are the best time to see a hummer (although you can see them anytime of the day)...they just happen to visit the feeder more often during those hours.

It sounds as if you need to look at a map of the US and view some migration maps for hummingbirds. Start with the Ruby-throated Hummingbird which is the main species in your area. They migrate as far north as Canada to breed in Spring/Summer, so no doubt you will be having several more visitors til at least mid-October for the late migrators...although the visits get more infrequent by then. A Ruby-throated hummer didn't go off coarse passing through here in Nebraska. When you get a chance...google online for maps to help you so you can see the migration range and breeding range...they are not the same

When the hummingbirds are in migration-mode, they feed an average of every 10-30 minutes...more frequently in the early morning and early evening...or from sun up...lets say 6:30 am now to about 9am...then again from say 5:30-8pm at dusk. Of coarse, remember those hours change daily since the days are getting shorter, so in a few weeks, for example, the late day hours would of coarse change to about 5:30-7:30pm dusk...see? Since we have hummers passing through here til the end of October, the last feedings wind up being about 5:45-6pm. The same changes go for the dawn hours too...getting later and later for the 1st feeding in the morning.

Additionally, unless you know the species of the hummingbird, and are also able to see it up-close or with a pair of binoculars, and pay close attention, you will have a hard time distinguishing if it is a male or female hummingbird. Female Ruby-throated hummers have a white chest and area under it's beak. Juvie male Ruby-throated hummers have varying shaded areas under the beak with anywhere from 1 red feather peaking out, to a necklace of red feathers coming in...or 3 red feathers. Some Juvie males that are migrating are from a 2nd (late brood) and unless you have a good camera or a close up pic, it is hard to tell if it's a female or Juvie male. We take hundreds of pics a day to help us keep track of them here...like today. We have 5 Juvie males, all with their own unique 'shadow' growth of their red gorget growing in. They will be in full 'beard'...lol...by Spring next year to attract a female to mate (for those that make the journey).

And one more point...with other species of hummingbirds, the females have colored feathers under their beaks...so again, for you or anyone reading this post who want to learn more about hummers, read info in books, online, in forums...be informed about your sweet visitors and which ones they are where you live!

Marshcat: Awwwww...your guys needed to be toweled dry...lol...bless their hearts! Too bad our homes weren't closer together...would be fun to visit each others yards/feeder areas with coffee

Pilateslover: Oh you are so lucky to have them breeding in your area! Oh, what fun!!! As for the male that left as you said...early. Well, most bird species that migrate, the males always leave 1st...whether it is Spring migration time (when they are the ones to establish their territories for their mate/nesting site/etc), and the females arrive as much as a month later (for example the Robins) or during the Fall migration, the males lead the way, many with the Juvie males, then the females. We have yet to have a female migrate through here yet and we have had mature males and Juvie male hummers migrating through since mid August

Capecdcat: Such fun, aren't they?!!! I get a kick out of when we'd have a whole backyard full of Sparrows and other birds and just having 2 hummers squeal at each (high pitch) other will 'clear the deck'...so to speak of other birds in our yard...HA!

Time for me to take a break...my fingers are getting numb...hehehe. I'll post to others later.

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

motherinlaw — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 23:08:54 GMT

My husband and I recently saw a documentary on the migration of hummingbirds.....it was fascinating!

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

Julie928 — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 23:17:29 GMT

Susan Louise ~ I really enjoyed your post! I was just talking with a friend of mine about how many hummingbirds I've seen at our feeder recently. I typically keep the feeder up until Halloween just in case there are any stragglers, although they are usually gone by mid-October. Just in the past few days I have seen a yellow warbler, a couple American Redstarts and a Hermit Thrush in our backyard. The Hermit Thrush has been a Spring/Fall visitor for about two years now. They're all so beautiful, I consider it an honor to have them stop by my garden for a drink and snack on the elderberries! I've worked hard to make our backyard a haven for wildlife, and when I have these visitors it makes me feel as if I'm doing something right...

It's very chilly here in Illinois as well. We had a pond with a waterfall put in our backyard this past May. We have five koi and one goldfish in the pond. I'm concerned about how they will fare this winter so I am off to the pond store tomorrow morning to pick up a heater, aerator, and some cold weather fish food.

Your backyard certainly sounds like a beautiful place to relax and unwind. Thank you for always sharing such wonderful posts with us!

KJPA ~ Is there an area in the front of your house where you can place your hummingbird feeder & still be able to watch them from the house? I've heard that hummingbirds typically don't like to feel crowded, and sometimes when there are other feeders nearby that will keep them from visiting. We have nine feeders in our backyard, and LOTS of birds everyday. We keep our hummingbird feeder just outside our front window and have had the pleasure of feeding them for the past three years. Good luck with your hummingbirds! Hope this helps!

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

Susan Louise — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 23:42:15 GMT

On 9/11/2014 blueskies said: Susan Louise , lol, I enjoyed reading your comment about the hummingbirds . Yes , it's too bad they don't learn to share ! We used to put a feeder by the kitchen window & loved seeing them visit . It had 4 feeding ports , but if a 2 nd bird showed up , omg ! Lots of fluttering ! ........Even after we stopped hanging the feeder a few years ago , every Spring they'd visit that window , looking for the feeder for a few years . They have amazing memories . Unreal . ..........enjoy the Fall weather ! The weather can't make up it's mind here yet .....Summer,Fall, Summer, Fall .....lol.

Hi Blueskies, Oh my...why oh why did you stop putting out that feeder? Yes they have amazing memories...so do all the birds. They go back to the same places year after year where they found the food sources that helped sustain them through their migration journeys and/or their breeding season. I feel so sad that you didn't think or want to put the feeder back out for them

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

Susan Louise — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 23:55:44 GMT

On 9/11/2014 Wadzlla said:
Here in NW Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie, there have been more hummers in my garden than I have seen in 25 years. I have seen up to a dozen at a time buzzing our flowers and feeders. They are nature's jewels.

They are very busy today fattening up for their big trip. I hate to see them go.

Hi Wadzilla, Yes, more hummers this year! A lot has to do with the weather being much better than during 2012...the huge drought. The hummers (and of coarse other birds/animals) struggled terribly and the mortality rate was very high. That year we had less than half of the usual number we expected to see...no doubt due to lack of food sources/flowers. Last year our numbers of visitors are better than 2013...and this year even better...Yay! The extra rain/moisture has certainly helped!!! And you mentioned the most you've seen in 25+ yrs....wonderful! That is a great sign of the hummers rebounding from very poor numbers a few yrs ago

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

Susan Louise — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 00:09:38 GMT

On 9/11/2014 geezerette said:

We live in the mid-south and have hummingbirds from mid-April to mid-October (I can almost set my calendar by how punctual they are). Right now they’re getting themselves beefed up for migration as soon as our first cold snap hits (it’s still very warm here). We have approximately 50-60 birds, and they are frenetic! We used to live the in southwest and had many different varieties but not as many, and they stayed all year.

There are a few that like to sit atop the feeders and try to guard their territory, but now there are just so many birds that they don’t have much luck hogging anything. Even though there are many disputes among them, when they get tired enough there will be an entire feeder full of hummingbirds (one on each hole) just quietly drinking and tolerating each other until one comes in from the woods and scatters the whole group. They keep me hopping filling up the feeders as they go through at least 10 cups of solution per day right now.

As they leave in small groups, the ones that are left calm down. Then one day, not a one appears and you know they’re gone for the season. But they’ll be back next spring ready to go at it all over again. In the meantime, I'll be feeding the songbirds during the winter.

Hi geezerette,

Oh, to have that many hummers all at once...a DREAM! We started gardening and feeding Hummingbirds back in 2007. Our Spring and Fall migrators grew every year. During the Fall of 2007 we had 13, 2008 we had 31, 43 in 2009, 75 in 2010 and over 100 in 2011! In 2012 we had the severe drought and we had less than 50...oh, how disheartening...just can't change mother nature though. Last year we had almost 70...so the numbers are on the rise again...thankfully!

I have seen many videos on youtube of folks with lots of hummers like you. It does seem to be when the numbers of hummers reach a certain amount, they don't chase/fight for territory nearly as much...if at all...and the less there are, the more each want to take as much territory as they can for themselves...lol. My fav video to watch is on youtube is titled "Hummingbirds - David Attenborough - BBC wildlife"

Re: Fall Hummingbird migration...

Susan Louise — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 00:17:28 GMT

On 9/11/2014 blueskies said: KJPA , wow , your yard sounds beautiful . Regarding your question , I'm wondering if your feeder solution is too sweet for them ? I make mine in a ratio of 4 parts water to 1 part sugar . Bring it to a boil for a minute , then let it cool before pouring in feeder . I only make enough to store in the fridge for about 3 days . I change the solution 3 times a week in very hot weather . I got all this info from instructions that were with the new feeder . .......btw, I found a good way to remember the ratio I read about ( 4:1 ) by thinking of a hand ....4 fingers & 1 thumb . Otherwise , I'd have to look it up again every Spring , lol.

Hi again blueskies: I put a ratio of 3:1 in our feeders. Also, I'm confused...you mentioned in your other post you don't put your feeder out anymore?

In your post #10/18 in this thread you wrote:

"Even after we stopped hanging the feeder a few years ago , every Spring they'd visit that window , looking for the feeder for a few years . They have amazing memories . Unreal"