Good for you. They usually start to show up in central Florida in February, but with the warm weather this year, you could easily catch an early arrival. I need to get my feeders out! I keep saying that, but they are still down. I need to replenish all my feeders for everything. I'll miss out on the goldfinches and buntings if I don't get the seed feeders back up.

Congrats on spotting one so early. BTW, it is also possible it's one that stayed all winter. There have been more and more reports of a few that are not leaving this area over the winter.

Marcia

I know of a few people just north of us in lakeland so say they have them all year long in good numbers. I just have never had one that I see more than a few days at a time. You are right my notes from the past year show late Jan. and early Feb.

Lucky you. I love hummers, they are so cute. Haven't seen any since fall here.
The other day I was sitting on the yard swing reading and a red cardinal jumped in the birdbath next to me and took a 20 min bath. His mate was nearby watching me to give him the alarm if I moved, I guess. It was such a treat to watch him :)

Today I saw a blue jay (I think) taking a bath too. I was far away from the birdbath this time. I guess I better clean that bath out if they are actually going to be using it now. It is a mess.

I just filled my feeder and hung it straight in front of me so that I can watch it from where I am now sitting. Once he left this morning, I didn't see him return. I am in hopes that he will return for feeding.

Do you think it is a young male Ruby throated?

Both young hummers and the females have white throats, so it could be either. However, this time of year, I would guess it's a female. I'm not sure how long it takes before the young males get the ruby-throat, but I would think by winter, they would have full coloration. I'll double check that.

Sultry, it's always so much fun to watch birds bathing. A garden without a good birdbath (or two...or three) just doesn't feel right to me. Glad you are enjoying yours.

Marcia

He's back today. It's really cold here and I hadn't seen it, I'm going out to put more food out. OH mY! I just saw him drinking from my feeder! A first!

I'm in Valrico, 20 miles east of Tampa, and I've been hosting around 20 hummingbirds lately. 16 of them are banded, 15 have been banded in my yard over the past two and a half months and one was banded on November of 2003. Two of these birds are female Rufous Hummingbirds. The 2003 bird has returned to my yard every August since then and she leaves in mid-March.

Hummingbirds do winter in Florida. If you're lucky, you'll be able to attract one. With a little work, you'll attract more. I'm hanging approximately one feeder for each hummer I see. I've landscaped to allow for multiple hummer territories in my yard by creating areas for feeders that can't be viewed from central locations. This allows for additional birds to avoid the very territorial ones. Plants can attract and hold a few birds but it takes feeders to get them to accept smaller territories and share a yard.

See my blog on my yard at:
http://mysite.verizon.net/resu64md/yardhummers/

Recent articles from my yard have appeared in the Tampa Tribune at:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/26/na-call-of-the-hummingbirds/news-metro/
and
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/26/na-want-to-hear-their-twittering-in-your-yard/news-metro/

I recommend you visit the following link to hear an interview with the bander while viewing photos from the day:
http://www2.tbo.com/static/special_reports/hummingbird/

It appears to be a well kept secret but we do have hummingbirds in the winter. They are throughout the state.

Steve

Here is a link that might be useful: Hummers in my Florida Yard

Read some of the daily entries from your site - I am the one who first posted about the Allen's here in lakeland and have posted an UPDATE on Allen's Hummer the other day.
Actually went to see it myself!

My hummer was out today feeding. I don't have alot blooming now, except for some large Firespike and some Salvias. Don't know if he is using either but he sure does come to my feeder throughout the day.

The Allen's left on the 4th. The bander said that he was heavy and had completed his molt so she expected him to leave very soon. We banded 10 Ruby-throateds in my yard after she left Joe's.

There's not much left to my yard after last night's freeze. What got missed two weeks ago, got it last night. I had avacados and mangos that had the tops burned before last night but now all of the leaves are burnt. I've got a few individual flowers on mostly burnt plants but I haven't seen any hummers using them. At this point, they're just using feeders.

One interesting observation was how my Russelia sarmentosa freeze. Apparently, the water below the surface on the branches freeze, splitting the skin and leaving rounded chunks of ice that looks like cotton swabs along the branches.

Here is a link that might be useful: Audio Photo Gallery - Hummingbirds in Florida

I thought I would be reporting that my Hummer had moved on once the warm weather return. I saw him yesterday morning but not in the afternoon during his normal feeding time at my feeder. But he was back today at the feeder once and then again sitting in his favorite Crepe Myrtle. Later in the day, I let my dog out and he ran past the Purple Firespike which is blooming and he caused the Hummer to fly up so that I could see him. Guess he is using it as a nectar source. I am so glad he has something more than the sugar water and bugs. I have since seen him over at the Firespike two more times. Luckily it is somewhat sheltered and didn't take too much of a hit from the cold weather. So I can highly recommend it as a Hummer favorite.

Okay, that's IT! I'm getting my feeders up TODAY!!! I'm too jealous of all the wonderful things you guys are seeing. Thanks for the additional info, Rowdy.

I've been birding in Florida many long years, and worked for Florida Audubon Society for several of them, and in those days, ruby-throats went farther south for the winter, and pretty much disappeared from central Florida, as far as any local birders could tell. I have been hearing for some years now that many of them have begun to winter over in this area, but I'm wondering if those are actually other birds coming down here from farther north for the winter? Does your banding help determine that?

And though we did have the occasional rufous show up locally, you never heard about any other hummers in this area, winter or summer. Now that seems to be changing. Bill Pranty's excellent book on Birds of Florida now lists both Black-chinned and Rufous as rare but locally common winter visitors.

Very interesting! Now where did I put the feeder???

*running to stove to put sugar water on to boil!*

Rubies, and rufous, and Allen's, Oh MY!

Marcia

I'm excited as well! I'm going to do the same thing to get that feeder out! Maybe they are here early this year?!!?...

I had a very interesting sight as well yesterday - but, it wasn't a hummer.

My Sharp-Shinned hawk (adult) flew down to my fountain to drink! It stayed there quite a while enjoying the water.

Obviously, they drink water from somewhere - but, this is the first time I've seen it enjoying my fountain!

Cool, SPF. I love to watch hawks and eagles drink and bathe. They are so much fun to see splashing about. Hope he doesn't chase off all your birds. I love seeing my red-shouldereds return to my oaks every winter, but the birdfeeder becomes a really quiet place while they are around, for sure. And I know you've had troubles with the sharpies getting your doves in the past.

Heading to PetSmart for birdseed and to give the dogs an outing now. I always have to check out the new feeders, etc, while there.

Marcia

The hawks are very active picking off the birdies at my feeders. I get it...it's part of nature and all, but it makes me sad to see it.

I had ("had" being the key word...) an injured female house finch. One of her eyes had been gouged out by something. She was staying close to the tree and the feeder for 3 days. I now have not seen her for two days, so, I'm quite sure one of the hawks got her. :(

Now there are two! I was sitting here watching my feeders and the trees in the backyard when I noticed my Hummer fly up and land near the top of one of the Crepe Myrtles. My eyes did a quick glance to the left and just in front of where it was SAT ANOTHER HUMMER! I wasn't sure so I got out my Binoculars and yeah, there were two! I had always wondered if the first one I saw on Jan.10 was the same one I have seen since cause it didn't seem to have the color on the throat as the one I have been seeing has. Is it time for the females to be nesting? I am so excited, now I am hoping they will hang around instead of migrating.

I don't know if they would be actually nesting yet, since it's still pretty early, but they could certainly be a pair. Hummers nest here in the late spring and summer from what I've observed, but hey...everybody needs a bit of courtship before they start raising a family, right?

I have seen hummers build their tiny nests on powderpuff tree limbs, and on branches hanging out over Rock Springs Run. Maybe they will use a crape myrtle. Who knows!

Hope they hang around and entertain you for a long time.

Marcia

The "migrants" don't show up until late February/early March. In my old apartment before I had wintering hummers, The first migrant would appear on March 5th or close to there every year. I also believe he would stay the summer. Unfortunately, there is still a lot to be discovered about Florida's Ruby-throated populations. I emphasized migrants because there will be some roaming of birds throughout the winter due to weather events and changes in food sources so it may appear that one has migrated in earlier.

I have found a nest over the Hillsborough River during the last week of March. That is likely the earliest we would expect to find one but, like I said, there's still plenty we don't know.

The Allen's returned to Joe's yard a couple of days ago. I haven't heard for sure if he's still around but I assume he is.

Hummingbirds don't "pair up". They don't even share a territory although they may share adjoining territories so you could see both male and females during the breeding season. They get together just long enough to do the deed and then the female does everything else. The male moves on the defend his territory and seek out other rendezvous.

Winter is a little different, when food is scarce and feeders are offered, they will shrink their territories and put up with other birds once they've battled a while and gained each other's respect. I seem to be losing birds as it warms up. Twenty birds (territories) was probably too much for my small 1/3 acre yard. It was fun while it lasted. I've still got at least ten but they don't fight at all and tend to sit quietly and are less noticed.

Glad to learn that hummers don't form true pairs, Rowdy. I never thought about it before, though I have certainly witnessed many a territorial battle between males.

I've seen quite a few nests in my birding around, but always in the late spring or early summer. And as I said in an earlier post, either available info was quite different 30 years ago, or bird habits are changing.

Rare bird alert hotlines would have been ringing off the hook back in the day if hummers in central Florida had been spotted with any great regularity during winter. I was very good friends with Dr. Herbert Kale in those days, and did many a count with him. I believe it is possible we didn't have all the necessary data to track hummers completely, but I also believe their habits have changed in the last 25 years or so.

Always learning something new about nature.

Marcia

My new hummer must be an immature male. Watched him for a while and he does have some color just under his chin but it doesn't come around on each side as the other one's color does. I did see both up in the trees again - they would both fly up into the oak that is by the Crepe Myrtle and they must have been catching bugs. Then the newer one would come down to drink and once the other one chased him off. He ended up sitting in my Cassia tree for about 20 minutes. It was getting dark and he was still there.

I do have video of both but I can't figure out how to get it on here. Do I do it just like pictures?

MB, just upload your video to Photobucket, perhaps in a separate folder just for videos, and then post the link here. It won't show the actual video here, but a clickable link at the bottom of your post will work.

Good luck!
Marcia