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Slow to appear hummingbirds? (1 Viewer)

Tracey40

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I live in Georgia (zone7) and normally see our first hummingbirds the first week of April. So far this spring, I haven't seen one yet. Feeders are clean, in the same spot, etc. Is anyone else having a delay--I know on the migration map they "should" be all over us and that our first ones are just passing through. This is just unusually late for us......
 
I agree - way up here in Ohio - I've seen 2 - but no regular feeders - I wonder too about the migration map - but since it was 30 last night - maybe they know best!!
 
i'm in upstate SC and only have a bout 5 of them 2 females 3 males however very irregular feeder habits only at dawn and dusk when it still very dark out side 1st siting for me was april 3rd
 
Where are the Hummingbirds???

Tracey40 said:
I live in Georgia (zone7) and normally see our first hummingbirds the first week of April. So far this spring, I haven't seen one yet. Feeders are clean, in the same spot, etc. Is anyone else having a delay--I know on the migration map they "should" be all over us and that our first ones are just passing through. This is just unusually late for us......
Hi Tracey:

I live in Toronto and have 2 feeders out this year and still no Hummingbirds!! I was wondering where they are also. Last year my first sightings at the feeders was May 5th.

Here birdie, birdie, birdie!!!!
 
This question has been popping up a alot this week and with permission from Bill Hilton, Jr., The Executive Director of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History, which is based here in South Carolina, I am copying and pasting his explanation here. Might make us all feel a bit better ;)

I get many calls and e-mails each year in mid-May because folks think
they've done something wrong and "scared away" all their
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds after having a nice crop of them in April.
However, judging from the results of my 20 years of banding RTHUs at
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History, what I call the "May
Hummerlull" is the norm. Migrants have passed through, resident
females are on nests, males have pretty much established their
territories, and there is plenty of natural food in the form of
nectar and tiny insects.

As evidence of the lull, please take a look at two charts on my Web
site for "Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project." The first
shows the long-term banding pattern from March through October, and
the other compares dates for new bandings of adults and juveniles.

As a caveat I should mention that the Southeastern states and Gulf of
Mexico did have one of the longest fall hurricane seasons in recent
memory in 2003--a season that coincided with the peak of RTHU
southerly migration; some birds undoubtedly were lost. I haven't had
an abundance of returns of older birds yet this spring but that may
still occur, and I won't really be able to draw any conclusions about
whether 2004 is an "unusual" year until the last RTHUs are gone in
mid-October.

Chart One is at http://www.rubythroat.org/Chart01RTHUDates.html and
links to the second one (Chart 8). Please let me know what you think.
:)


Happy Hummingbird Watching!

BILL
--

BILL HILTON JR., Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
[email protected], (803) 684-5852, eFax: (503) 218-0845

The mission of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History is "to
conserve plants, animals, habitats, and other natural components of
the Piedmont Region of the eastern United States through observation,
scientific study, and education for students of all ages." Please
visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net) at
http://www.hiltonpond.org and http://www.rubythroat.org ("Operation
RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project").

"Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to
watch the sunset." BHjr.
 
Thanks for the info - does make one ponder - here in Ohio I see very few! Had personal thoughts of hummicide due to my sometimes neglect of feeders LAST summer!
 
I stayed around home all day yesterday, and there were several hummers about and feeding at the feeders. Up until then, I thought they were scarce too....but I think they are here....I am just not here all the time to see them!

The levels in the feeders are not going down very fast, however, so I may be kidding myself! :eek:) One feeder that was nearly half full encouraged me until I realized it was full of big ants! They evidently eat a fair amount! So I hooked up a water ant trap to hang the feeder from, and we'll see what happens.

Interesting information from Bill Hilton.....thanks for sharing with us!
 
First visitor yesterday

Hope she comes back today. Cheers,bob
 

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While traveling in TN - I did see hummers at my daughter's feeder in N'ville. My FRESH filled feeders don't look too far down - will have to SIT and watch tomorrow! Maybe the rainy weather has some effect? Hear you got some tornadoes in Lex Bob - just drove thru there on way home - saw a church under construction with roof trusses messed up by "wind" on Man-O-War.
 
RT hummer

amasara said:
Thanks for the info - does make one ponder - here in Ohio I see very few! Had personal thoughts of hummicide due to my sometimes neglect of feeders LAST summer!
Ticked an rt hummer May 26 in the wild in Cuyahoga county NE Ohio on a bloodroot.
Sam
 
amasara said:
While traveling in TN - I did see hummers at my daughter's feeder in N'ville. My FRESH filled feeders don't look too far down - will have to SIT and watch tomorrow! Maybe the rainy weather has some effect? Hear you got some tornadoes in Lex Bob - just drove thru there on way home - saw a church under construction with roof trusses messed up by "wind" on Man-O-War.

Hi,

No confirmed twisters, but plenty of "wind" damage. Not sure what, if any, influence the weather has on the hummers. Sure hope my visitor returns...soon! Cheers,bob
 
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