I've already got my feeders up! According to that map, I should have them anytime. I think I've seen some on occasion, but they've darted by so fast, I couldn't tell for sure if they were hummers or something else........I'm on hummer watching vigil because I'm going to try to send in my FOS siting so they can post it on their map! (FOS=First of Spring!)

Susan, the Texas Yankee, the Texas Rangerette and the Assistant Administrator

SKBeal's Snazzy Tra

Our hummers come the same time every year. The first week of May. My feeders are set out the last week in April.. Usually by May 5th I see at least a few..

They start Migration in Jan.Then in Feb they migrate to the northern coast of the Yucatan eating as many insects and spiders to get a good layer of fat so they can make the long trip to the US.Some will skirt the Gulf on to Texas and most will go across the gulf.They usually leave at dusk and fly 18-22 hours if the weather is good for them.(About 500 miles)The males leave first.Then after 10 days the 1st females start their flight.

The migration usually takes about 3 months,which keeps them all from being hurt incase there is bad weather.That way they all don't get wiped out!

So you may not see your hummers for about 2 or 3 more weeks!

Hopefully I will have enough bugs to keep them here in my neck of the woods and I have to remember to keep my feeder clean and filled as they need it to get after their fav bugs!

Happy Gardening and Hummingbird sightings!

Blessings,

Deb

 

They made landfall in Texas, LA, GA, FL, the bottom of AL and I'm not sure where else.....they aren't far from me, and I can't wait to see them. I expect to have company in the next few days.

Susan, the Texas Yankee, the Texas Rangerette and the Assistant Administrator

SKBeal's Snazzy Tra

Thanks for the link. This is really neat. I'm in PA so I know it will be awhile yet, but I think my kids will also enjoy tracking the hummers. I never knew before when to put out my feeders. I always waited until I saw a hummer, now you took all the guess work out of it!

Thanks.....Jen

Sharry

I have been told that if you look at the hummingbird migration map....and look at last year and the year before you will see that the hummingbirds are actually two weeks ahead this year....they are also predicting an early spring, and I beleive they are right since the birds are migrating early....even the robins have been here early this season.

No complaints here of spring being early....LOL

Sue thanks so much for the info....Im going to dig out my feeders and make sure they are all set to go, and fill them when they are close....

Sharry, that map shows that they made landfall around New Orleans earlier in the week. I'm not sure about when they come. I think it varies a bit. Weirdly, last year, they came up here around St. Patrick's Day. Easter was about two weeks later than it is this year. Well, lo and behold, on the day before Easter of last year, we got 5 inches of snow here. It snowed on Easter. I went to Church on Easter morning expecting to see the place packed to the gills. Not on my life. It wasn't even packed 1/10th of the way.....People in these parts have no clue as to what to do when it snows. I'm willing to bet that they didn't have a snow shovel to shovel themselves out, or a scraper to scrape snow off their cars. Worse, I don't think the cities around here make provisions for snow, so they were clueless as to how to remove the snow.

With Easter falling so much earlier this year, that may have something to do with things. Also, I think that whereas parts of the country, like Chicago, for example, where my mom lives, have had a really wicked winter with severe conditions, we down south have had much milder conditions. The whole southern gulf coast of the US is breeding country for Ruby Throats. Before they fly north, they do their breeding. They nest for about 24 -30 days. They need to fly up here to do their breeding as soon as their internal thermometers and clocks tell them that the weather is good.

Global warming may also have something to do with it. Consider that if the ice is melting in Antarctica, that' s really warming things down there and destroying the penguin habitat. In the Southern Hemisphere where Hummingbirds spend their winters, winter is ending and spring is approaching. They are probably making their way from Central America up to the U.S. Gulf coast so they can begin their nesting. First the males come. Females generally follow a week or thereabouts later. Once they are around for a couple of weeks, maybe more, they will begin nesting. The Ruby Throats for sure will be hanging around here for a couple of months before they venture up north. 

 

Susan, the Texas Yankee, the Texas Rangerette and the Assistant Administrator

SKBeal's Snazzy Tra

Kym, definitely watch the map. I would say put it out when they are super close to you.....You should know by watching the map. If you have flowers blooming that they will like, all the better. You don't need to worry about red food coloring. If it's food, they'll find it. Make sure you put the feeder out of the direct sun. That will probably make it go bad faster. If you can put it in a place where there is a tree nearby and they can see it from the tree, they'll perch themselves in the tree to guard the feeder. If you have bunches of hummers, you may want to put several feeders out, but place them strategically in such a way that they can't be seen from the other feeders. Hummers are competitive and sometimes aggressive. They don't like to share, so if you have feeders that can be seen from another feeder or a perch on a tree where one hummer was watching a feeder, changes are, that hummer will consider all the feeders within view his or hers.

Susan, the Texas Yankee, the Texas Rangerette and the Assistant Administrator

SKBeal's Snazzy Tra

Thank you for the site...I did watch this map last season...question for you hummer enthusiasts....when is the best time to put out the feeder ? Should I watch the map and put it out right before they get to my area ? I really want to do all I can to get them to my yard, so any advice would be great !! I know they LOVED my black and blue salvia last season, so this season I plan on doing a huge amount of it. I also have a lot of other plants they like, but didnt have much luck with the feeders, even when I changed them routinely...

That's the link I posted in my article, Dizzy! Incidentally, that map only shows Ruby Throats since they are the first to migrate. The orange on the map shows the breeding area. If you wish to submit a siting, they are only looking for sitings of Ruby Throated males.

They've already made landfall in Florida from about the center of the state to the panhandle. They made land fall on the Gulf somewhere around New Orleans on the 26th (two days ago.)

If anyone is as crazed or as obsessed as I am about hummers and would like to consider doing another collaborative article, we can keep a journal about them and their habits and behaviors once they make landfall. If you live in the breeding area, be mindful that not long after they make landfall, I'd say give them 2 to maybe 3 weeks, (because the males come first and the females follow,) they will start nesting. For a good month or so (technically 24 days,) they will be nesting. I know that they are nesting someplace around me because after that period is up, I see hummers that I am sure are babies. They don't have mature markings yet and they are significantly smaller.

I hope that y'all will take as many pictures as you can of hummingbirds. At the moment, we have a gallery for bird pictures, but if we wind up with a slew of hummer pictures (which I am hoping is the case,) we may have to give them their own gallery!

Let the watch begin!

Susan, the Texas Yankee, the Texas Rangerette and the Assistant Administrator

SKBeal's Snazzy Tra

Very interesting site ! Useful too.

Thanks.

 

Chellflower ~ zone 8

I’m ‘ Loopy ‘ most of the time, but it shows off my ‘ well-rounded’ personality