Hummingbirds!
- Thread starter kkott
- Start date
VIsits are definitely dwindling and they are in migration. But, I'm still getting daily visits and had one this morning I saw before heading to work! As I said, I think I've seen my last one around Oct 15 the last 2 years, so I'll enjoy the fewer visits over the next few weeks. I'll keep 2 feeders up all winter hoping to lure in one of the "needle in a haystack" winter-time SC birds!
Here in southern IN I'm seeing at least 6 hummers frequenting 2 feeders. Late season you typically see more because in addition to parents, you have Spring"s offspring, plus possible migrants passing through the area. Hummers might hang around longer if they have consistent sugar water provided, despite the flowering nectar source dwindling.
If our birds here (NC/SC)are migrating, then I'd be surprised if they aren't in Southern IN. If not, I'm sure they will be shortly. BWCoach noticed his leaving a week and a half ago and I thought he was South of Indy somewhere.
You're too busy winning fantasy golf $ to worry about Hummingbird activities
I'd imagine in most of Texas you have year rounders and probably more species. East coast, we pretty much only have ruby throats, but there are about 4 species out west and I'd imagine TX has more than 1 species also.
Yeah, we have some year round. I know certain times I see more. I tried to plant some plants that attract humming birds and butterflies.
I will. Used to be big into fantasy football but not for a while. I’ll start getting in and donating though.
Did some research, we have Buff-bellied hummingbirds here year round.
I looked them up. Says in the emerald bunch. Kinda looks like the female ruby throated from the back. Wish we had different ones here in central Indiana.
My final ‘bunch’ left Saturday. Sunday I saw one and so far today I haven’t seen any. Beginning to take the feeders down. Still have 14 up. Will take down four to six a day until I have two left for the stragglers coming down from the north. Kkott they’re heading your way.
We went all weekend without seeing any at the feeders. Leaves are starting to turn and that usually coincides with them being gone for the year. I'll probably pull feeders next weekend.
Sad thing for me. Based on the last couple years, I should still have a couple weeks, but they really start dwindling at the end. My activity noticably slowed about 2 weeks ago (I made a post the day I noticed fewer visits) when I'm guessing some of my "regulars" started leaving, but it's been steady in the evenings when I get home. Towards the end, I'll go a day, or most of a day without seeing any and think they're done, when I look out and see my last (viewed!) visit. I have left one out front and one in back over the winters because supposedly there are a few who stick around through the winter in SC. We'll see!
Whenever I've been out west, I've noticed the hummers are more social, fight less and accept several birds on a feeder at once. Mine rarely do that and fight for territory/dominance all the time.
I've posted this before, but this is a live stream of a woman in CA on her feeders. Sometimes there'll be 50-60 birds buzzing around!
well damn: afraid I may have seen my last hummer for the season. In the last couple of years it's been closer to 10/15, but it's unusual for me to go through a whole weekend when I'm home and not see one, just because I'm here all day vs being at work through the week. If I didn't see one all weekend, it seems unlikely to me I'll see one next weekend and with the days being shorter there's just much less time I'm here during daylight. I wonder if the recent full moon had something to do with it? It was a spectacular moon!
OK, been a week and a half since I saw my last hummer here in Rock Hill SC, so I feel like I've seen my last for the year, despite it being around Oct 15th the last couple years. There's a post on NextDoor so I know folks are still seeing them in the area, but they haven't been at my feeders, at least when I've seen them. Still think the harvest moon had something to do with it. The last one I saw I believe was 9/29. I've taken down my other feeders, but keep 2 out through the winter just to see if I could see a winter time hummer. We saw one last year in January or February in Raleigh which was a shock.
OT. I did see a Monarch butterfly battling the South breeze on its way to Mexico last week.
I've tried planting milkweed, but not seen any monarchs, or cocoons/chrysalis. My ex had planted milkweek and brought the chrysalis inside and hung them from a branch and we got to watch them mature and hatch as butterflies, and then she released them, and it was cool. I've also gone up to the mountains and tried to see them migrate through some of the passes (supposedly as high as thousands per hour at times), but didn't ever see more than a couple. I saw a pic on facebook just posted and it was hundreds/thousands in OK mid-imgration apparently. Very cool and amazing thing!
