Up untill the last 3 days I would get up in the morning peak around my slider curtain and I would always know I would see hummers sitting there, not now. There were times when I would see 3 or 4 fighting over a feeder but not constant as before. Is this the end or just a lull this weekend might tell the story. Its always hard to say how many you might have the following year. I would say if you had juvies before migration started there is a good chance those birds will return to your area next year. I can say that once I started having hummers here the numbers the next season never dropped. Just keep doing the right things with feeders and add the best hummer attracting plants you can .

I was satisfied with my first year's August activity, but the rest of the year was pretty slow. I'll be disappointed if I don't get a noticeable increase next year. For sure I'll have several more hummer plants, but I just don't think my city is along a particularly busy hummer route.

It is sad!
I have had a really good year with my residents--but as of today i just have one juvie male here. I am seeing migrators and will have them only till the first week of October. I do not know if my last baby boy will leave today--i wish I could send a bottle of formula with them all, and know they would have plenty to eat on their journey.

Surely we all feel the sadness that some of our beautiful friends will not make it back next year. It certainly will not be our fault and that is a comfort!

You guys are all heroes to care for and help our wonderful RT Hummers survive and thrive!

Cheers to next season and God speed to all our Hummers!!!

Howdy from the south!

Today I spotted the first female in my garden this season, so if she was formerly in any of your gardens up north, please know she's doing great, the feeder's very well tended, she's got an absolute FEAST of nectar flowers, and the weather's great. Plenty of entertaining competitive male dive bombing for her to watch, too, though she clearly has a mate. Thank you for sending her my way and please know she'll be just fine. :)

It always helps me to think that when something is just passing through my garden, or ready to move further north or south, that maybe the next stop will be the garden of a fellow gardenwebber who can look after it with just as much love. (And y'all probably have some of my butterflies, too! You're welcome! ;)

Okay... I do see one hummingbird early in the morning and just before the sun goes down. She comes once each time. Once again I am guessing that either my yard is in between where she hangs out during the day and where she goes to sleep, or she gets chased away from other yards at these two times.

I have 5 feeders up. One an each side of the house and three in the back. None in the front yard. Of the three in the back there is one that basically got used all the time, a window feeder that I want to keep up as I want that one to get used, and a third that got used occasionally. I am thinking of taking down this occasional feeder, but I am thinking of leaving the other 4 up.

Two questions. Here in NJ when does one stop filling the feeders? Second, do you fill all your feeders or do you take them all down but one? This allies to feeders from other parts of the yard and not ones that you may have had bunched in one spot due to heavy activity.

Ken

It doesnt matter where you live, the rule of thumb is to leave at least one feeder up 1mo after you see your last hummer, some go longer than that. Right now I only have 3 feeders up that I fill. In the back I only have 1 first nature feeder up, out front one window feeder, one first nature out in the yard on sheperds hook. The feeder in back being used the most, but Im still seeing some flower use. The feeder in back [16oz] is being emptied in about 2 and 1/2- 3 days. So I guess its relative to the time of the migration season here in central Indy.

Hi all - new here. Recognize Laurelily from the BF forum?? This year I have really gotten into feeding and observing my RTs. I always get juvies around late July into migration time. This year I was lucky enough to observe the male juvies develop their red throats...finally!

I garden for butterflies, so naturally attract the hummers with a lot of the same flowers that the BFs love.

The most I have witnessed at a time are 4 hummers. For my small area that is probably a good number.

I am not sure when migration begins and/or ends, but generally go with about the same time as the BFs migrate south as well.

I have heard it said, though, that sometimes they winter over here in OKC. I don't know if this is true for you, too, eighdeh, or not. But if so, what does one do to make sure these guys overwinter successfully?

Appreciate your input.

Susan

Hi Susan,

I wish I could help with your question. There are people more knowledgeable then me on this forum, so I would suggest starting a new thread so more people would see it.

Ken

Ken,
This has been a very different year for me with regards to number of hummers, arrival, departure, etc. Mine are usually here until the end of Sept. or middle of Oct. this year I was down to one two days ago. Today I did see at least three so I am thinking that I will be seeing some migrants from here on. As for whether you will have more next year...that depends on your habitat and their ability to survive the treacherous migratiion in spring and in fall. I think quite a few of the birds who come my way perished during hurricane Gustav last year or due to other unfortunate incidents as my numbers were way way down this year compared to past years.

Penny