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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
Admittedly, the chances of seeing a rufous are slim; the odds are much greater than winning the Georgia Lottery. In addition, if you are successful in having a rufous winter in your yard, there is a chance it will return the next winter.
If a hummingbird shows up in your yard this winter, please let me know.
SOON THE HUMMINGBIRDS WILL BE GONE
Here at my Middle Georgia home, during the past few days the number of hummingbirds visiting our four feeders has dramatically decreased. As late as last week, my wife was making 20 cups of nectar a day in an effort to meet the birds’ demand for food. Today for the first time in weeks, only two feeders needed to be refilled. I suspect that the rubythroats are rapidly disappearing in your backyards too.
With that in mind, I would like to know when you first noticed a noticeable drop in the hummers visiting your feeders. In addition, it would be great if you report the date, the last hummer is seen in your yard. I have been studying hummingbirds for more than 30 years and still have much to learn about these fascinating birds. Your information would be helpful in delineating the fall migration of the ruby-throated hummingbird in Georgia.
If you do respond to this request, please include the name of the county where you live.
BACKYARD SECRET – HOW MANY MILES DO RUBYTHROATS FLY EACH DAY FLYING ACROSS GEORGIA ON THEIR FALL MIGRATION?
For weeks, ruby-throated hummingbirds have been making their way south towards their wintering grounds. Have you ever wondered how far a rubythroat flies once it leaves your feeders and continues on to the next stop on its journey?
Banding studies reveal that when these tiny migrants cross Georgia they fly about 23 miles per day.
DO NOT TAKE HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS DOWN
When I began working with hummingbirds more than 40 years ago, it was a common practice for Georgians to take down their hummingbird feeders in September; this was done because many folks subscribed to the popular belief that, if you left your feeders up past August, you would entice the birds not to migrate. We now know that hummingbirds migrate due to declining day length and not the availability of food. As the days become shorter, ruby-throated hummingbirds begin storing fat the fuel needed to complete their long migration. When it is time for them to leave, abundance of nectar-bearing flowers and hummingbird feeders stocked with sugar water cannot keep them from making this epic trip.
If you keep your feeders up, you will help provide late migrants with a much-needed source of food. In addition, it gives you the chance of having your feeders visited by a western hummingbird. The hummer you are most likely to see in Georgia from November through February is the rufous.
BACKYARD SECRET – RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS DO NOT MATE FOR LIFE
When we see male and female ruby-throated hummingbirds perched next to each other on our feeders it is easy to assume that ruby-throated hummingbirds mate for life like many other birds that reside in our backyards. The truth of the matter is, however, they do not.
Females arrive in our yards each spring after the males. In addition, males migrate south before the females. Actually, they stay together for only a matter of days.
If that is not enough, male rubythroats do not even help build the nest or feed their young.
