It's a lot quieter around here now that many of them have gone. I'm actually surprised to see two out there right now. The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been a part of my days all summer as they buzzed around chattering and chasing each other, livening up the garden and visiting the feeders. But now it's time for them to begin their journey south, heading to the warm and sunny tropics. It's a sad time seeing them go.
Like clockwork, these amazing little birds have been arriving here the first week in April for the past twelve years. A journey they take every year, traveling thousands of miles. It's astonishing! I feel so blessed to have them stop here. Actually, it started with only two of them. Nowadays, as the summer rolls on, the numbers increase and by the end of the summer there are hundreds of hummingbirds visiting the feeders and nearby flowers daily.
The Ruby-throated hummingbird starts its migration south at the end of August or beginning of September. It's hard to say which ones are residents and which are just passing through but the numbers go up and down. September is the busiest time and some mornings there are so many at the feeders that they're three deep to take a drink. Most of September I'm filling the feeders two or three times daily. This year I had nine feeders hanging and went through more than 180 pounds of sugar. I kept a tally. I didn't keep track of the organic sugar that I had to use early on. Due to the pandemic, this spring there were times there was no cane sugar to be found on any store shelves. Crazy times.
I'm down to having four feeders hanging, filling them only half way. There's so few of them now that I'll have to change the sugar water every two or three days to keep it fresh just in case some stragglers happen by for a drink on their journey. A couple more will come down soon but I'll leave two out there just in case, until it's certain no more hummingbirds are around.
Good bye until next year my little friends. I'm going to miss you.
Discussions:
| Thread Title | Last Reply | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Hummers by slowcala | Oct 8, 2020 5:36 PM | 1 |
Post a new thread about this blog entry:
