Thank you Penny, I have been waiting for this. Sure sign spring is right around the corner!

Hey, when should I put my hummer feeder up? I used to wait until late April, but should it be sooner?

you are welcome candyd it is definitely a sign of warmer days to come.

Disneynut
They won't hit western NY until late April at the earliest. My earliest arrival ever up here was April 27th. I do hang one feeder around the 18th of April but I know it is wishful thinking.

Penny

Thank you Penny, Will look for them in a few weeks, or should I say months:)Anita

Well Anita I would love to say in a few weeks but we still have a ways to go up here in the northeast. However if we get an early warm-up with lots of southerly headwinds they could arrive early....with global warming, you never know what could happen.

Penny

I'll put mine up the begining of April, just to be safe. I am thinking about buying 2 new feeders though. I bought a nice one off Ebay last year, but I just don't like it, it has a seperate ant moat, but the feeder still gets loaded with ants:( I might indulge and pick up 2 mini hummzinger's, 1 for up front and 1 for the back. 2 years ago I had the really large size and we all know Ruby throated hummer's here. There is no sense having a large feeder if 1 male is gonna claim that feeder and not let anybody else near it. So I sold it and went down in size for a feeder.

Lets hope so Penny, but I know I won't see them till May4-5 here,Makes for a great Birthday gift though!

Ants: I bought the black things from wally mart last year & hung my feeders from them, as long as they had (black things) water in them, I did NOT have any ants in my feeders, so they do work, I also bought 4 new feeders last year, I kinda like for things to match around here, now I need a new window stick one, when I brought it in last year, I broke it:(, I so love them, but they are so darn easy to break.
:)Anita

I use the ant moats with plain water on all of my hummer feeders. I do have to check them for water though b/c the chicadees and goldfinches love to drink the water from them. I have bought 5 more feeders to add to my supply. They are the little 97 cent ones at Wally World. They are perfect for those who don't have hords of hummers at any one time. They only hold about 4 or 5 ounces and you do have to fill them all the way to the top or they will drip but my hummers (and chckadees) drain them daily so their is no nectar waste. I also have 3 of the First Nature feeders from Wally World which I love b/c they are so easy to clean. I only put 6 ounces of nectar in those even though I think they hold 12 or 18 ounces. I do need to start buying and storing sugar now so that I have a supply ready and waiting.

I will be watching the wind and weather patterns and if we get an early warm up with lots of southerly head winds I may put my first feeder up a bit earlier than usual but the middle of April has worked out well in the past. As soon as I see reports in northwest PA I know they are getting close. One of my daughters live in Hamburg and she sees them sooner than I do. She is very close to their migration path so when she notifies me that hers have returned I know they are close at hand.

Penny

I'm enjoying watching the migrations.

Hi Penny im not sure you remember me Jo from buffalo we talked alot. I posted her alot as well. I was really sick last year so i wasnt able to do much. Thanks for posting the migration map.

Jo

Hi everyone!
So happy to hear our little humming-friends are making their journey! I can't wait to see them. It's like expecting company - the excitement builds in anticipation of their arrival! : )

I can't believe that a hummer showed up in New Jersey, with this weather being chilly and damp.

Well not only have they started to arrive in NJ and PA but NY State now has its first official report. Looks like it may be Sullivan or Delaware County...douwnstate. For some reason they are really moving on up fast this year. Usually this only happens when they get a prolonged southerly tail wind.

Penny

Well, 2 of my feeders are up now. I was surprised to see they have hit NY already. Now if I could only get my hubby to put more poles in for me to put the rest of the feeders up :)
I have the front window and back deck covered, but wanted to get a feeder at each side end of my house and 2 more set out in the front yard.

Those of us in the western part of the state still have a little while to wait even though they do seem to be pushing northward at a rapid pace. The ones that show up in the eastern part of the state follow a different course than those that summer in western NY. Though it isn't definite, it is believed that our wny hummers follow the Miss. River before brancing off to possibly the Ohio River and it tributaries or they connect with the Great Lakes and come accross that way. The birds on the east coast generally follow the coast line and have a much straghter shot.

Penny