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BACKYARD SECRET – FUELING RUBYTHROAT MIGRATION?
During the past few weeks the hummingbirds that have been visiting our feeders seem are on a feeding frenzy. The reason for this is they are trying to store enough fuel (in the form of fat) to power their fall migration.
Prior to migration, an adult female ruby-throated weighs roughly 1/10th of an ounce (3.5 grams). These long-distance migrants will consume enough nectar and insects to increase their weight to 5.5 grams (0.194 ounces). Each gram of this stored fat enables a hummingbird to migrate 300 miles.
THE TIMING OF THE FALL RUBYTHROAT MIGRATION
If you have been feeding hummingbirds, you have probably noticed that the number of rubythroats visiting your feeders has dropped significantly. This reason for this is rubythroats are heading south on their fall migration. Interestingly, the timing of their departure is dependent on their sex and age. Let’s take a quick look at the timing of the migration in Georgia.
If you take a close look at the birds visiting your feeders, you will notice that currently few adult males are still using your feeders. The reason for this is adult males are the first to leave. While some adult males will begin migration as early as July, most will leave in August. The adult females are the next to leave they begin their southward trek in August. The last to depart are the hummers that hatched this year. Most of these birds migrate in September.
TIPS THAT HELP OFFERING HUMMERS FRESH NECTAR
With heat indexes almost daily soaring above 110°F, the nectar we offer our hummingbird neighbors can quickly spoil. With that in mind, here are a couple of simple tips that help ensure that rubythroats will be dining on nectar that has not spoiled.
While summer temperatures soar, the hummingbird nectar we provide in the feeders’ spoils more rapidly than it does when temperatures are not excessively hot. With that in mind, if you are using large feeders that take hummingbirds days to drain, put them away and use smaller feeders. In addition, it is a good idea to replace the unused fluid in your feeders every couple of days.
If you notice that the nectar in a feeder is cloudy, immediately discard it. That is a sure sign that it is no longer fresh.
LOOK FOR THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD’S COURTSHIP FLIGHT
After the female ruby-throated hummingbirds have arrived in your backyard, be on the lookout for the male’s courtship flight. When trying to attract the attention of a female a male will repeatedly fly in a large 180-degree arc. If you have excellent hearing, you will be able to hear the male make a buzzing sound when it reaches the lowest point in the arc.
BACKYARD SECRET – FEMALE RUBYTHROATS ARE NOW IN GEORGIA
My wife and I live in Monroe County just north of the Fall Line. Each year we anxiously await the arrival of hummingbirds that have spent the winter south of the border. This year the first male was seen in Monroe County March 7, however, most folks did not see one until March 16-19.
Female rubythroats are always seen days after the males arrive. This past week the first females were reported here. My wife and I, however, have not seen one yet.
With that in mind, both males and females are obviously flying about the southern half of the state. Chances are, if you live north of Monroe County, there is a good chance you have already seen a male ruby-throated hummingbird at your feeder, although those of you that live in the northern portion of the state may not have seen a hummingbird yet.
If you have already seed a male, be on the lookout for your first female hummer. Since I have no knowledge of the arrival dates for those of you that live in North Georgia, I would appreciate it if you let me know what the arrival dates of both males and females in your neck of the woods.
BACKYARD SECRET – PLANTING GROUPS OF PLANTS BENEFIT HUMMINGBIRDS AND OTHER POLLINATORS
If you are looking for a simple way to benefit hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators, plant nectar plants in groups of the kind. You will find that mass plantings enhance the beauty of your yard and makes it easier for these valuable backyard neighbors to locate plants bearing nectar.
With that in mind, plant no less than 3-5 of the same variety together. If have enough room for larger plantings, masses of plants measuring two to three are even better.
I hope you will try this simple technique this year. I suspect that, if you take this advice, the pollinators will love it and you will wonder why you have not adopted this gardening trip before.
SAPSUCKERS AID HUMMINGBIRDS
Since spring has arrived, any day now ruby-throated hummingbirds will begin showing up in our backyards. When they return it is easy to believe that the sugar water we offer them in our feeders will address all of nutritional needs of these tireless migrants. Unfortunately, this is not the case. While our hummingbird food supplies the birds with much-needed energy, it does not contain the vitamins, and minerals that are important to their diet.
The nectar that furnishes them typically comes from nectar gleaned from flowering plants. The problem is many of the flowers that bloom at this time of the year are not excellent sources of nectar. Plants such as Daffodils, Bradford pears, even most ornamental azaleas produce little nectar. Fortunately, hummingbirds have another source of the sugar, minerals and vitamins they desperately need. This food is tree sap. A bird named the yellow-bellied sapsucker unwittingly supplies this “liquid gold.”
This woodpecker drills shallow holes in the trunks of trees and other plants. The sap wells become shallow reservoirs that collect tree sap. The yellow-bellied sapsucker uses its brush-tipped tongue to mop up the sap. To ensure that it has plenty of food, it chisels out lots of holes in concentric circles around a number of trees.
Other critters such as butterflies, squirrels, and birds like hummingbirds also avail themselves of this unusual food. In fact, the only Rivoli’s hummingbird I have ever seen was feeding at sapsucker holes in a tree growing in a backyard near Winder, Georgia.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds often follow yellow-bellied sapsuckers to these holes. However, whenever one of these special woodpeckers spots a hummingbird or other interloper feeding at its sapsucker holes, it promptly runs it off.
I should note that this source of food is so important to rubythroats; their spring migration follows closely behind that of the yellow-bellied sapsucker. This helps ensure that rubythroats will have readily available sources of food as they proceed on their own journey north.
I guess it would not be a stretch to call sapsucker holes Mother Nature’s Hummingbird Feeders.
CAMELLIAS HELP WINTERING HUMMINGBIRDS SURVIVE DURING GEORGIA WINTERS
It is easy to believe that winter hummingbirds are totally dependent on our feeders to survive. Although feeders hanging in backyards have helped hummingbirds winter throughout the Southeast, wintering hummers such as the rufous have other sources of food.
One of these foods is the sap that wells up in active sapsucker holes. Although yellow-bellied sapsuckers excavate these shall reservoirs to provide food for themselves, a variety of critters such as other birds, squirrels, butterflies and even hummingbirds dine on the sugary sap found their excavations. Since the shrub also produces pollen, they attract the some of the few pollinators that also dine on pollen during the winter.
Another underappreciated source of food is the nectar is produced by winter blooming camellias. One of the best is (Camellia sasanqua). This flowering shrub blooms from fall throughout the winter.
These glossy-leaved thick shrubs also provide the tiny birds with much-needed roost sites.
If you know of any other varieties of camellias that attract winter hummingbirds to your yard, please let me know.
GEORGIA’S WINTER HUMMINGBIRD SEASON
For most hummingbird enthusiasts, the opportunity to host hummingbirds in their backyards extends from March through October. When the last hummingbird leaves on its fall migration one cannot hope but wish we could enjoy watching hummingbirds throughout the year. It is a little-known fact that some Georgians actually do host hummingbirds throughout the year. In order to do this, they are successful in attracting the tiny migrants during Georgia’s Second “Winter” Hummingbird Season. This season extends from November through February.
During this season, you can see more species of hummingbirds than at any other time of the year. The species you are most likely to see is the rufous. It is estimated that anywhere from 50-100 rufous hummingbirds annually winter in Georgia. Most of the others have been seen in Georgia only a handful of times.
If you want to have the rare opportunity of hosting one of these special birds this winter, maintain a feeder throughout the winter. There is no need to keep a feeder full of nectar; however, it is important that you change it regularly.
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD by Terry W Johnson