We live on the KS MO state line. My hummers are feeding heavy too.

You need to leave those feeders out till after the first frost. Here sometimes the first of October I will still have a hummer or two come through.

Bossy hummers mean more feeders in different locations.
That way more than one can feed at a time.
He cannot watch more than one at a time.

Good luck and happy feeding.
Enjoy
garden of oz

for the past month I have been sitting outside early with temps in 50s some mornings. I have been getting quite a few birds morning and night and many of the birds we see one day are not the same birds the next day as they are constantly filtering down from the north. Some of the experts say that some hummers start migrating in july, dont know how true that is, possible I guess.

Hello all. I am a long time lurker and thanks to this forum I have 3 feeders with about 20 hummers daily! I've done some research and I read that their migration has more to do with daylight hours than temps. So far I see the same ones everyday. I have about 6 males 4 grown and two young ones and lots of females. They are are such a joy! I will miss them when they go south.

Hi!! This is the first year I really caught on that I have Hummers. One had to almost get right in my face to say hello, scared the crap out of me.

This was September 4th I think. I went out that day and purchased a feeder and noticed quite a few hummers around, but a dominant female would not let others feed, so I purchased another feeder, but they were too close together, and she guarded both. Finally I purchased a third and put it on the side of the house (this time a bottle kind). Put that one up today. Now, she cannot guard all three at once.

Anyway, mine are here in high numbers I believe. I went out just before dark and it was like being in the middle of a major bee hive. Lots of hummers and I am in Central IL, Zone 5B. Love the way they get right in your face at stare you down!! :)

It will be interesting next year to see if I have any that nest around here or if all are just migrators.

Mine are still here and I live further North than you.

So, how do you know which states get the most daylight hours, might be a stupid question. I always thought that the further North you were, the earlier the migration would be.

I too have a lot of hummers morning and night and during the day. Easily 20 hummers. But I am convinced mine are migrators. My reason being when I had my regulars they were draining my small walmart feeders 4times a day but these migrators only drain them twice a day. They like it here and use the feeders and flowers but are more into guarding and topping off it seems. Maybe its because they are now nearly full and fat when they arrive here and just need this pit stop to refresh, but their territorial instinct still causes them guard their feeders.

Remember there's atleast two things going on with migration.

1. The northern states have shorter days first. If a hummer doesn't like how low the sun is in the sky he flies a 100 miles south and the angle is slightly higher, he stays another week or two there until the angle of the sun has moved to where it was in the first place cueing him to fly south until he finds that higher sun angle and repeats the process. The angle of the sun/length of day are pretty much interconnected (I'm just making up the number of miles they have to fly to notice a change the angle in the sun - I'm sure they're more sensitive to it than we are).

2. Each little hummer is programmed differently. They don't all migrate together at the same time. The angle of the sun that drives one bird south might not bother another for weeks later until it is low enough to trigger his instinct to fly south. July is not an unreasonable time for hummers to start leaving Canada.

This is how mom nature keeps from having all of her eggs in the same basket, so to speak. Not every bird crossing the Gulf of Mexico would be wiped out by the same hurricane for example or by the same early blizzard if they stayed north too long.

It works the same way in the spring. I'll see an occassional bird in April, but don't see alot until later May and June. The whole species won't die in the same spring blizzard that way. The advantage for the early birds is they can stake out the prime breeding habitat first, but they're living dangerously. The ones playing it safe may make it safely north - but not be able to pass along their genes because all their possible dance partners are taken - tho they'd have the advantage if a blizzard did wipe out their early rivals.

Now if something nasty happened weather wise and they couldn't find food I would guess everybody left in an area would bug out for warmer climes. But its still an every bird for himself sort of thing - they don't leave because their buddies have - though it might look that way to us.

Does that make sense? I get awfully long-winded.

It has gotten down to 52F at night lately and my hummers are still here...

lucygreenthumb,

That's the best explanation I've ever read.

Thank you ctnchpr,
I was afraid I was being way too long winded and I appreciate your kindness. Just don't ever be afraid to tell me when I am babbling!

Here in SW lower Michigan its 56 degrees.. supposed to be 43
tonight. A couple hrs ago I saw 2 hummers. I put out fresh nectar.. those little guys worry me. Its very windy and chille. We needed a coat on in just the few minutes we were
out there.

lucy greenthumb
Thank you for that great explanation. Our temp is going down to 40 tonight. Our faithful male Ruby left his post on Aug. 30. We still have a female and 2 young ones, plus migrators. Saw several today. Last male we saw was a week ago.
Ali, feeling the same way here. Still have 5 feeders fresh. Hate to see them go, but its been cold and our flowers won't be around much longer.

LGT--- Yes I think you are right on it , and I have heard the same thing, about the shorter light days , but wasnt aware that the northern states got shorter light first. Im wondering , ok the hummers are pushed farther and farther south because of shorter and shorter days, but there is a hurricane immenent on the gulf coast, which happens to be exactly where they are headed, what then, do they head back north, hold their ground, or fly into it and perish?

lucygreenthumb - I agree, your explanation is pretty awesome.

hummersteve - as per lucys explanation, each hummer would probably do something a little different - but those behaviors would probably be one of three things:

1. An unfortunate few would probably attempt to cross the gulf, and may make it, and may not. The winds might push the hummers west to the shores of Mexico, which wouldn't be so bad.

2. A large number of hummers will migrate along the coast instead of across the gulf anyway, so many might continue doing so.

3. Some hummers (maybe the older ones that have already migrated before) would probably just stay put and wait for the weather conditions to improve. I doubt any would reverse and head back north (a substantial ways, at least) - I think the urge to migrate south would prevent this in an overwhelming majority of birds.

Again, as per lucy, that's just nature not putting all her eggs in one basket...

Tnd the northern latitudes get shorter days first because the north pole is tilting away from the sun during the fall, reducing the amount of daylight and direct sunlight that part of the earth receives. This is why places like northern Alaska and northern Canada experience nearly 24 hours of darkness during the winter, and 24 hours of sun during the summer, when the pole tilts back towards the sun. The earth is a very wobbly place!

Something interesting about hummingbirds that hasn't been mentioned yet - every night they undergo a "mini-hibernation," also known as torpor. Their body temp drops to an incredibly low temperature (around 50 or 60 degF, I think), so they can survive very cold nights. And as long as they have enough food during the day, they will be able to produce enough energy to heat themselves (the normal body temp for a bird is around 104 degF, but I think hummers run a bit hotter). This is how a lot of hummers are able to inhabit high elevations, where the temperature drops to almost freezing during the night, no matter what time of year it is!

All the answers to my questions are the same answers I would have said I just wanted to see what others would say. I actually have brought up the torpor on another post that asked similar question. Happy hummering.

What do you think of this--hummers migrating on the backs of geese??? Well, I didn't argue with my mom-in-law, but I had certainly never heard of it before. Have any of you?

The hummers migrating on the backs of geese is pure myth - people used to not believe that anything as small as a hummer could fly south on it's own. But as it's your mom-in-law it may not be worth arguing about, direct her to this website or any of the other good hummingbird sites and she'll figure it out on her own.

Guys, my head is swelling from the compliments about the migration explanation - feel free to copy and repost it if you think it'd be helpful when this question comes up. I've always wanted to be a biology teacher - but I'm math phobic! LOL.

The differences in the angle of the sun /daylength from place to place is because the earth is round, the sun's at a lower angle earlier the further north you are.

Icterid thanks for mentioning torpor. We had it get down to last 30F /0C last weekend and the hummers are still here and fine. I'm sure they "torpor-ed" overnite. It wasn't a hard killing frost though.

A couple comments on frost and hummers...

Even with a widespread killing frost - frost can be pretty uneven. Just because the flower bed froze doesn't mean there aren't some flowers that are fine in a protected spot against a warm, foundation or under a tree nearby. Frosts tend to be spotty.

From a hummingbirds perspective whether or not the insects it eats freeze is important. I've read that's a huge factor in how quickly they more on. They need their protein.

From our perspective this means that they may hang around after a "big freeze" because not everything really froze - just your prized petunias.

Keeping our feeders up after the insects have frozen won't keep hummers around BUT it may give them the energy they need to make it to the nearest frost-free zone and refuel. So I encourage everybody to keep they're feeders up as long as you can.

Now I have a question, has anybody seen any evidence of how hummers sense distant weather patterns? It'd be nice to think they can sense a hurricane in the making and stay out of it's path but I'm not sure they can. I'd like to know what you all know.
Thanks again,
Lucy

hummers on the back geese , total myth, they are loners

I'd be really interested to see any studies done on birds predicting or anticipating weather patterns. I know it happens, but have never heard how. A lot of birds will wait until just the right weather system moves through before taking off for (or continuing) migration.

Younger birds sort of bumble their way through migration the first time around - they leave the breeding grounds later than the adults, and are basically left to figure out the route on their own. Spending so much time outside, though, I imaging birds would get used to changes in pressure, humidity, and other weather-influencing variables and eventually figure out what certain combinations mean for upcoming weather patterns.

You know, I wouldn't put it past a hummer to take a short break on a migrating goose (only mostly joking)! I've seen migrating birds land on ships when the conditions are too rough to make any progress, and the back of a goose would be quite a luxury parking lot for a hummer needing a break from flying. I don't think it would actually happen, but I also don't think it's outside the realm of possibily. As a standard mode of transportation, though, definitely not.

Dont you just wish we could bring them in the house for the winters.......poor little guys........thats a long way to fly and ya know some dont make it........We had frost last weekend here and as soon as the sun came up there they were at the feeders......i saw just 1 this am and I think it was just passing thru. My last 2 were here yesterday.......but have not seen them today and I feel they have gone south.

Like esrungg I wish we could bring them in for the winter.
For the last week we were down to one hummer. Then it warmed
back into the 80s and the other one is back. All they do is
fight but its fun watching. The bossy one stood two feet in front of my daughter and stared her in the eyes,.. she was mezmerized lol they are so cute. All she could do was whisper
mom mom mom... I couldnt even hear her lol

Someone else mentioned being from SW Lower Michigan and I am too. I've had about 16 Hummers around my house all summer (since the babies fledged!) and they are truly a joy.

Well, yesterday Sept 20, I think they all flew the coop :(
There was only one young one around all day yesterday and I haven't seen him yet today, so he may have left also.

To all you folks down South, could you keep an eye out for them and take good care of my babies. I sure do miss the little winged wonders already.

sgt bob,

Your babies have 5-star accommodations awaiting them in TN.

Well it looks like the few I had here for a couple weeks are gone except one female...last two days she is the only one I've seen.......see ya next spring I hope!!! lol

Well the one I thought was passing thru is still here. I have seen it like 5 times today and I dont know if its an older female or a young one. I always worry when I still one this late and no others. Hope its ok and not sick or lost way up here in Grand Rapids area

The last 2 hummers here left on Thursday the 20th. I haven't seen them since. The adult male left before them.

SE PA.

I am so glad I found this site! We have one fat little girl who is still hanging around, and I have been a bit worried that she is ill. Everyone else headed south a couple of weeks ago, but she doesn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. We are outside of St. Louis, and mornings have been quite cool. Glad to hear that others have a few hanging out late as well.

This was such a good year for them! We have enjoyed them so much...both my husband and I got them to perch on our fingers and feed! Just amazing!! I'll miss them over the winter, but it gives me another reason to look forward to spring.

Thanks, all, for your info!