 John Burmeister, Grand
Blanc, recently asked us if ruby-throated hummingbirds had a particular migration
behavior. We told him we assumed they flew slow and low nectaring on flowers as they made
their way south to Mexico. He immediately smiled, paused, and said, “Then, I must
have some hummingbird in me because when I travel I stop quite often at Starbucks, and any
place I can find cherry pies.” For a variety of reasons, we are seeing more
hummingbirds in our area than any other time this spring or summer. We observed scrapping
males at the feeders; they begin migration earlier than the females, and we’re also
seeing moms with their offspring. September / October is a great time to put out a
hummingbird feeder, if you have not done so already, and it is a myth that leaving
hummingbird feeders up past a certain time will cause them to stay. Experts think
migration is driven by the shortening of our daylight hours, not food supply. If the food
supply theory were true, males wouldn’t begin migration in August when food supply is
still plentiful.
Hang those feeders now to enjoy the hummer activity, and keep them up until November if
you like. To quote the late Roger Tory Peterson, “Keeping hummingbird feeders
available late into fall will help a hummingbird along the way as most natural nectar
supplies have been depleted.”
Gentle reminder: do not use any artificial food coloring when making hummingbird
nectar. We still do not know if food coloring is safe. As they say ... when in doubt, do
without. And, the safest ratio is four parts water to one part pure cane sugar. Many
people think increasing sugar content is helpful when in fact it is hard on the little
fliers’ digestive system.
Louise Dawson
on behalf of the the Naturalists at J.J. Cardinal’s
"Happiness is wanting what you have."
Starbucks cup & logo are
registered trademarks of Starbucks Corporation©
hummingbird line drawing by Louise |
