Franklin TIS Blog

Journey North - Hummingbirds

STILL Seeing Hummingbirds? Please Let Us Know! Since August 21st, 800 people from Alaska to the southern tip of Texashave shared their hummingbird observations and a picture of fallmigration across North America is beginning to emerge. Right now, theTexas Gulf Coast is experiencing an early and phenomenal build-up ofruby-throated hummingbirds as they prepare to cross the Gulf of Mexico:
"Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have just taken over the back yard," wroteHarlen Aschen from the Texas Gulf Coast yesterday. "Forty to fifty inthe yard this afternoon. With the drought, these birds are famished andare looking for nourishment before their flight across the Gulf. This iswhat we would usually see the first week of October and we have beenseeing it like this for almost ten days. It was suggested by a TexasParks and Wildlife Department (bird-)bander that we get nectar out forthem early, have plenty, and keep it out!"

Please Report Your Hummingbird Observations!* PLEASE REPORT NOW if you are still seeing hummingbirds.*

You Can Report Your Sightings Here:http://www.learner.org/cgi-bin/jnorth/jn-sightings

Hummingbird Migration Map: Get Ready to Watch it Changehttp://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/humm_fall2009.html

Watch how the map changes over the next few weeks, as hummingbirds vacate the north and fewer and fewer people report them. (Remember, report only if you are still seeing hummingbirds. This is how the mapwill show migration patterns.)

Some Migration Highlights: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/humm/DataReported.html

You can read all of the observations people have submitted at the linkabove. Here are some highlights:
* What was the most common sign that migration had begun? "The femaleshave been plentiful but we haven't seen a male for some time," explainedone of the many observers who noticed this change.
* People were amazed at the sheer volume of food the tiny birds began toconsume. "They are starting to bulk up and get the little pot belliesthat become evident in fall in preparation for migration," wrote anobserver in New York.
* By measuring food consumption, several people saw a clear change whenthe hummingbirds began to leave. Here's an astonishing example that wassent on August 22nd from Missouri, "After several weeks in early Augustof feeding frenzies (seven feeders available), pace has slackened. Whatwas a half-gallon a day consumption is now less than half-gallon a week."
* The numbers of hummers at feeders has declined clearly in many areas.Said an observer in Montrose, Colorado on August 21st: "Last week we hada swarm of 15 eating furiously and now they have gone. I have seen about6 hummingbirds regularly this week."
* What was the most unusual report? How about this one made from a boatin Corpus Christi Bay? "We were on the water, dolphin watching, and saw6 hummingbirds within a 45-minute stretch. They were flying about 3 feetabove the water level, heading south over the Gulf of Mexico."