Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
claireplymouth

Hummingbird Spring Migration 2013

I know it's way early, but something told me to check just in case, and the hummers are already in Florida! Two sightings on February 22 and 23!

These maps should automatically update so anyone who is interested can watch the progress (and get the feeder out of the cellar and find the nectar recipe when the sightings are getting close to you). To see the maps larger, click on the Spring 2013 Migration of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds link.

The maps are linked to, and produced by, the hummingbirds.net website where there's lots of useful and interesting information about the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Sun, Feb 24, 13 at 15:01

Comments (150)

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    10 years ago

    Saturday I visited several gardens on the Upper Valley Open Gardens list, and one of the gardens had an enormous pink shell azalea in full bloom. While I was near it a hummingbird visited it a couple of times until another couple came up the trail and she took off. I guess I had never considered my rhodies having attraction for hummers, but I guess I will see if I can find another pink shell since my last one was left behind when I moved.

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    nhbabs: One of the indicators here for hummer arrival is the PJM rhododendrons blooming in the local supermarket parking lot. It's as if they follow the rhododendron trail from the supermarket to my yard. We have some old reddish-orange azaleas my mother planted and I once had a hummingbird hover at my shoulder while I was looking at them (don't mess with my azaleas, lady). The wild honeysuckles bloom around this time too.

    j.bush: Glad they're back. They should be settled in for the season now.

    Claire

  • pixie_lou
    10 years ago

    I *finally* saw my first hummer of the season. A male spent a lot of time visiting the feeder this morning. I've "heard" him whizzing by a few times over the past week. But didn't "see" him until today.

  • pixie_lou
    10 years ago

    Deleting duplicate post

    This post was edited by pixie_lou on Mon, May 27, 13 at 13:05

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Congratulations, pixie_lou! I'll bet your pond is a great source of insects for the hummers. Not so great for you, probably, but the birds and aquatic critters should help keep the population down.

    Claire

  • j.bush
    10 years ago

    There has been a male hummingbird perched on a shephard hook where I have a hanging plant. He will stay there for quite awhile,then he gets a drink. He will continously do this.

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    j.bush: Your male hummingbird is probably guarding his territory from other males. He'll attack any other male that tries to feed there. Usually they lurk out of site in a nearby tree or shrub and only come out when another hummer dares to enter their territory.

    Claire

  • jenniferg76
    10 years ago

    I've been following this thread with interest. I moved into a new home last year (in a less urban location than my last) but didn't put up a feeder until this spring. I've been anxiously watching, hoping to see a hummingbird visit, with no luck until yesterday. I put the feeder on a shepard's crook outside of a window at an angle that I can see it from the couch, and yesterday I looked out of the window to see a little hummingbird hovering and drinking, making cute little noises. I didn't get a picture or a close up look, since I didn't want to scare it away, and it drank there for a few moments before flying away. I hope it comes back! At least now it knows where to find a quick meal. :)

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    10 years ago

    Got a quick snap with my phone of the female hummingbird visiting the columbine.

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Congratulations, jenniferg76! Was this after heavy rain? I remember once there was a whole day of heavy rain and the birds were stuck wherever, probably having trouble finding food without getting beaten down.

    When the rain stopped I saw and heard a hummingbird making mouse-like little sounds and flying frantically to flowers and the feeder. I imagine a few hours without food is really stressful to a bird with such a rapid metabolism.

    Claire

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Very nice, nhbabs! Lots of flowers for the hummers.

    Claire

  • jenniferg76
    10 years ago

    Hi Claire, actually it was in the middle of that 90 degree heat we were having. Maybe the heat was stressing it?

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    10 years ago

    Jenniferg76, my experience is that the hummers make a little chipping noise when they aren't happy that I am in the garden with them, so if that was the noise s/he was making, perhaps it has spotted you and was expressing displeasure.

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    nhbabs: That makes sense and maybe my hummer in the rain was desperate for food and was complaining that I was in its way.

    Claire

  • christyanne926
    10 years ago

    Just found this thread! I have a small brownish hummingbird (sorry I don't know the species) that I just spotted feeding about 15 minutes ago out of a small feeder in a hanging herb basket. I can't be sure, but I'm almost positive it's the same little one who nearly flew into my face when I popped out onto our deck unexpectedly last week-the "driving" habits are certainly New England appropriate lol :-)

  • jenniferg76
    10 years ago

    nhbabs, I was inside the house and several feet away from the window at the time, but I guess it could have seen me or heard me even so.

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    EpeeGardener: The usual hummer in New England is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, but very rarely Rufous Hummingbirds are seen. The ruby-throated is predominantly bright green so the "brownish" color is surprising. I've never seen the rufous but maybe that one appears brownish.

    The other brownish possibility is the Hummingbird Moth.

    Whatever it is, all are wondrous creatures and all could be said to exhibit "eccentric" driving habits.

    Claire

  • christyanne926
    10 years ago

    Claire, Thanks for the help- I think it might have been a hummingbird moth. Little disappointed that it wasn't a hummingbird, but still a unique creature. I live very close to a protected area so I'm going to keep my eyes peeled!

  • j.bush
    10 years ago

    I am up here on the cape at my parents place and saw a hummingbird at there feeder today. I been seeing the hummingbirds up here all this week but not at the feeder. This is my frist time seeing hummingbirds here at the cape.

  • pixie_lou
    10 years ago

    I've been seeing mr hummer daily. I put a hanging basket of wave petunias near my feeder. Mr hummer clearly prefers petunia nectar to my sugar syrup. That's ok. As long as he stays in the neighborhood!

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    j.bush: Lots of things blooming now on the Cape so the hummers should have plenty to eat.

    pixie_lou: Real plant nectar is much more nutritious than sugar syrup but I've noticed that the hummers here will grab a quick sip from the feeder and then head back out to the real stuff. Sort of a guaranteed meal when the real stuff runs short. Late in the afternoon the hummers usually stop by to top off the stomach before going off for the night.

    Claire

  • jenniferg76
    10 years ago

    Well, I worked from home today, which gave me a great opportunity to watch for hummingbirds! Our female came back a few times. She likes to sit and drink a lot at one time. We also have a little male that has started to come around. He came to the feeder constantly all day, every 10-15 minutes, it seemed. Unlike the female, he hovered as he ate, looking up every few seconds.

    This isn't the best picture - I'll have to learn the fine art of hummingbird photography now!

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Nice pic, jenniferg76. I've also noticed that the females are more likely to sit and drink leisurely - particularly at the end of a long day flying around. I do have one male sitter though.

    I think I saw a first-year male today, he approached the feeder and flew all around it but didn't seem to know what the do with it so he flew away. I'm sure he'll figure it out soon.

    Claire

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    10 years ago

    EpeeGardener - One way to tell the difference between humming birds and hummingbird moths is sound. The birds' wings make noise, sort of a buzzing that is much deeper than bees. The HB moths are silent as well as being a bit smaller. We enjoy them both.

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    10 years ago

    Here's a thread on the Cottage Gardens forum that has a link to a video with multiple hummers at a feeder. In my yard, they don't share well at all, however.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Thread on cottage gardens with hummingbird video link

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Great video, nhbabs! Hummingbirds here don't share either - maybe it's different in Minnesota (Minnesota nice?), or maybe they're not ruby-throats.

    Claire

  • christyanne926
    10 years ago

    Finally caught a pic of my garden visitor-I'm pretty sure this one is a hummingbird (*crossing fingers for not a moth* lol). Actually, she usually gets in my face a little if the food is low, but I haven't had my phone handy yet.

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Definitely a hummer and not a moth, EpeeGardener.

    Very nice pic but it's displayed at 90 degrees from the original. I'm not sure why but I do know that when I create an email image using my Canon ImageBrowser there's a step where they ask if I want to set it to "Rotate according to Rotation Information" so that it will be displayed the same no matter what the Preferences of the viewer. Maybe that's happening here?

    Probably someone else here can fix it - I tried a few things but it didn't work for me.

    Claire

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Duplicate Post

    Claire

    This post was edited by claire on Tue, Jun 25, 13 at 20:31

  • j.bush
    10 years ago

    How do i keep bees away from my hummingbird feeder?

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    J.bush: There's no sure-fired way that I know of to keep the bees away. Hummingbirds.net says:

    "Bees, Wasps, and Yellowjackets
    Bees and wasps are attracted to the color yellow. Since many hummingbird feeders have yellow plastic "flowers" or other parts, try removing such parts or painting them red before hanging your feeder in the spring - once bees learn where food is, they fly right back to the hive to tell all their friends, so avoiding their attention up front works best.

    You can buy a feeder with bee guards. However, those tend to be the drippiest feeders available (Perky-Pet "Four Flowers," etc.), and once they start dripping the bee guards are useless, since puddles form in the flowers outside of the bee guards, an easy meal for insects.

    Bees tell each other about good nectar sources using pheromones, so it may help to clean the feeder daily with vinegar. It may also help to rub a clove of garlic around the ports. I don't recommend using Pam or other oils or greases on hummingbrd feeders.

    The only sure defense against bees and wasps is to absolutely deny them access to the syrup. In June 1997 I replaced my Perky-Pet 210-P with a HummZinger, which is inherently wasp-proof because the syrup level is too low for insects to reach, but easily in range of the shortest hummingbird tongue. I also bought a Perky-Pet Oasis feeder, a copy of the HummZinger with several design flaws, but just as effective against bees. Basin feeders are also available from Opus and other companies, and all are effective in denying food to bees and wasps. All are also easy to clean.

    If you choose not to try a new feeder and wasps persist, first try moving the feeder, even just a few feet; insects are not very smart, and will assume the food source is gone forever. They may never find it in its new location, while the hummers will barely notice that it was moved. If that doesn't work, take the feeder down for a day, or until you stop seeing wasps looking for it. You'll see hummers looking for it, too, but they won't give up nearly as soon as the wasps. Also, reducing the sugar concentration to 1 part sugar in 5 parts water will make it less attractive to insects, but probably won't make the hummingbirds lose interest."

    I once saw a hummer sharing a feeder with a bee but that's not common. Usually the birds avoid the bees - I imagine the sting could be fatal to such a small bird.

    Claire

  • christyanne926
    10 years ago

    Claire- I tried to fix the picture too, but for some reason it would not cooperate. I took the picture with my phone, and it looked normal loading and in my preview so I'm not sure where things went wrong. Sorry for the neck strain!

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Let's see if this will work. I downloaded your pic to my desktop and used Canon ImageBrowser to make a new email image. ImageBrowser said the usual, that this image might be displayed differently so I did the "Rotate according to Rotation Information" choice and then used TinyPic to upload.

    Looks good in Preview.

    Claire

    edit note: And it held in the post. Another of those strange computer things I don't really understand but sometimes can work with.

    This post was edited by claire on Wed, Jun 26, 13 at 13:11

  • j.bush
    10 years ago

    i was seeing a lot of hummingbird but know i only see one male hummingbird. I been changing the food. Why is this happen?

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    j.bush: Maybe the females are off nesting, or it could be that there are just enough flowers and insects out there that most of the hummers have natural food to eat and only sometimes come to the feeders.

    Keep the feeders changed so the hummers can come if the flowers let up. Different flowers bloom during the summer and they will probably need the sugar syrup.

    Claire

  • j.bush
    10 years ago

    has anyone been seeing hummingbirds later?
    I have not been see any at all.

  • terrene
    10 years ago

    Hi guys, I have FINALLY had the first hummingbird sighting today! Yippee! Although I am feeling a bit inadequate since most other people (besides J. bush) have been seeing them for weeks. :-D

    Hummie was out on the red Bee balm - my patch of Monarda didyma which has just started to bloom. I expect to see them on a regular basis from this point forward. They love the bee balm, and the Lobelia cardinalis, and the Salvia, Ipomoea, and Zinnias. Awesome!

    Edited to add: I usually don't put out any feeders. Just try to grow a lot of nectar rich plants that the hummingbirds can utitlize.

    This post was edited by terrene on Fri, Jul 5, 13 at 19:53

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    j.bush: I'm still seeing hummers every day even though they now have many nectar-bearing flowers to browse on. Lots of insects too. They just zip up to the feeder, take a sip, and zip onwards, probably to better tasting pastures. I feel like I'm handing out water bottles on a hot day.

    Congratulations, terrene! My Jacob Kline bee balm is now blooming too, along with a few thousand meadow phlox, so the hummers should be happy. Hostas are beginning to bloom too. This time of year they probably don't really need the feeders but spring is usually so late here at the coast that I like to to keep them fed so they stay around until the flowers come in.

    Claire

  • butterflyer
    10 years ago

    Has anyone else had a problem with those little white worms eating their monarda flowers? I've searched the internet, and people in other forums, etc have mentioned this. But no one has identified them. They are so gross and completely ruin the bee balm so the hummingbirds don't / can't use them. Neem doesn't do much.

    (Finally our hummingbird(s) showed up June 10, and this month visiting frequently. Felt so bad for them with the ruined bee balm and the coral honeysuckle was kind of pathetic too from mites or aphids. So they made do with other stuff--even nodding onion, and finally I think they might have used the feeder.)

  • butterflyer
    10 years ago

    Has anyone else had a problem with those little white worms eating their monarda flowers? I've searched the internet, and people in other forums, etc have mentioned this. But no one has identified them. They are so gross and completely ruin the bee balm so the hummingbirds don't / can't use them. Neem doesn't do much.

    (Finally our hummingbird(s) showed up June 10, and this month visiting frequently. Felt so bad for them with the ruined bee balm and the coral honeysuckle was kind of pathetic too from mites or aphids. So they made do with other stuff--even nodding onion, and finally I think they might have used the feeder.)

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I found a few links that say it might be Pyrausta signatalis-monarda/horsemint caterpillar.

    Monarda Buds with Catapillars

    Bee Balm larvae help needed

    They talk about handpicking and wasps and dish soap sprays and Bt.

    A recent thread on the Perennials Forum is What's up with my monarda?

    You might get some answers if you post on the Garden Clinic Forum.

    Claire

  • butterflyer
    10 years ago

    Thanks Claire,
    I had acutally seen those links and I think it's not the horsemint caterpillar which according to my caterpillar book, only feeds on leaves.

    But I did some more looking, and I think perhaps it's something like the tobacco bud worm. I don't want to use Bt because I think it could harm the good (butterfly) caterpillars in the garden. I guess I'll keep handpicking, cutting back the monarda, and hope they won't be a permanent plague. I think they got to the few petunias too.

  • j.bush
    10 years ago

    two weeks ago i saw a lot of hummingbirds but i see one or two thats all. Did they start going south allready?

  • j.bush
    10 years ago

    two weeks ago i saw a lot of hummingbirds but i see one or two thats all. Did they start going south allready?

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yep, this is prime migration time. According to hummingbirds.net in the Migration Basics section:

    "Some adult males start migrating south as early as mid-July, but the peak of southward migration for this species is late August and early September. By mid-September, essentially all of the Ruby-throated at feeders are migrating through from farther north, and not the same individuals seen in the summer."

    You still should keep your feeder filled for a while - there may be some late migrants coming through your yard and they'll be really hungry.

    Claire

  • spedigrees z4VT
    10 years ago

    The hummers around my porch now are skittish strangers. They must be Canadian birds on their way through.

  • corunum z6 CT
    10 years ago

    Had a stranger here today and he fed at the feeder. It was not Buddy. Behavior was different, landed on different branches. Buddy's routine is the same each year. I'll keep changing the water for another month. Never thought about the Canadians. Wonder if he speaks French? I'll ask tomorrow.

  • corunum z6 CT
    10 years ago

    I was wrong. Buddy is still here as of this morning.
    Jane

  • j.bush
    10 years ago

    should i make and more hummingbird food.?There has not been any hummingbirds 3 days. when should i take down my feeders?

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Keep at least one feeder up until the end of September. If you haven't seen any hummingbirds for a few weeks at the end of September you can probably stop. I'm still seeing hummers here now and they act like migrants (examining the feeders as if they're different from what they're used to).

    Three days is not a long time.

    Claire