Let's see how the dates they arrive this year compare to last year since the weather has been so difficult. Here is the map from last year.
http://www.hummingbirds.net/2009maps.html
Do you have any new plans on how to better attract the little darlings to your yard?
Really cute photo Pelletory
The hummers arrive here between the 18 and 21 of April. The weather was horrid last year, very little blooming at that time so I'm sure the feeders helped them survive.
I think this year I will add another feeder and put out some nest building materials for them;-0
Rufous Hummingbird, photo taken through my window.
Lighting wasn't great on this photo but thought I would share, it was also taken through my window.
Calliope Hummingbird
Are they here yet? LOL.
I guess this means I better get my you know what in gear and paint my metal chair red!
Wow mcash you get the Calliope too, that is great! I'll be looking forward to seeing more of your photos.
I think thats a good idea to put out an extra feeder for the first ones arriving.
I also get a few Black Chinned, hopefully I'll get some photos with better lighting this year.
Wow your very lucky to get all 3 types.
I put in a new( for me) type of red trumpet vine last Fall that I hope they like. Hope it makes it through this winter. They are pretty hardy so we'll see.
This message was edited Feb 24, 2010 10:04 PM
I planted 2 red trumpet vines a few years ago, they struggled for a couple of winters and then died:-(
First hummingbird has been put on the map (from hummingbirds .net) from the Fla. panhandle!
http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html
Hi everyone, They loved the Columbines and Cannas last year and occasionally flirted with the Petunias. Toward the end of the season, I planted Bee Balm and Agastache hoping to attract more.
Saw my first hummer on 26 March last year. Didn't stay, just flew through the yard. Had the first in the yard 01 April. I'll have a couple of feeders out. I have quite a lot of natural food for them as well. Columbine should be blooming by then. Also have some Autumn Sage they love and honeysuckle.
We mostly have Ruby-throats here, but I had a pair of Black-chins last summer.
Black-chins? That's great Red!
Hi FOV, Mine go crazy over Bee Balm. I have Jacob Cline.
I planted a red cardinal plant last fall. They are supposed to like those....so I hope it survives winter. If not I will fill the space with Lady In Red Salvia. This is right below where I hang the feeder on the front porch.
Hope it makes it nanny; their a very nice plant.
Two more hummers on the map!
I wish we had a mapping project like this for the Rocky Mountain States. We start getting Broad-tailed hummingbirds passing through here in April. I usually hear them before I see them - the males make a distinctive metalic whirring sound. Then I know it is time to put out my first two little feeders. We get the male Rufous on his way back South starting in July - by then I've gotten out a couple more larger feeders.
pollengarden, see if Journey North can help you track yours, it's a fabulous place: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/humm/index.html
Hi Pollen, I don't think there are any sites where people report Broad-tailed Hummingbirds but here is their general map from Hummingbird world. You'll see it mentions how the sound is made.
http://hummingbirdworld.com/h/17.htm
We do have the Rufous Hummingbird Map in the Sticky. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1077643/
Thanks pelletory and fruitofthevine! Both of your links led to "Journey North", which looks like it will allow me to report sightings of other Hummingbirds besides Ruby-throated, which I don't get here. I'll give it a try this Spring. Meanwhile, I am working on increasing the number of Hummingbird plants in my yard.
reddirt, We saw our 1st one March 26th too. That's our little red dot in VA on last year's map. It wasn't until mid-April they stayed.
A neighbor told me they like Forsythias and Azaleas at first and then a week or two later start visiting our feeders. Does anyone know if this is true? And if it is, what other early blooms would be good to have?
Red Buckeye, Weigela, yes Azalea
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This message was edited Mar 2, 2010 9:17 PM
I only get Ruby's and they don't show up until 3rd week of April or so. I've been tracking them on the map for a couple of years and put my feeders out when they are in Connecticut. The Cape is remote, so the sightings are further north before they show up here. I see them on my early azaleas and PJM's.....but mostly they are at the feeders until my garden kicks into gear in May/June. Their favorite plants are the bee balm and the Victoria Blue salvia. I planted a red trumpet vine 2 years ago and it is limping along.....and I put it by itself to grow on the shed after all of the warnings that I read that it is a thug plant. No flowers yet and only a spindly 4' tall. :(
Last year, I bought a second feeder as there was so much fighting over the one and the numbers really grew!
I watch the map ....and once they get close to the Indiana/ Kentucky border I get the feeders out and up! The oriole feeders go up as soon as the apple trees start to bloom in April so those are out for them to use too.
Ive got my nectar on the stove as we speak. There has been a spotting in cedar key...only about 30 miles to the west of me. I hope to be ready for them.
My flowers this year have two themes...mosquito repellers and hummingbird attractors.
Never heard of trumpet vine just dying. It's a very invasive plant, but hummers certainly like it. When weather gets warmer, I rely on the annual red salvia.
Hummer favorites in my former garden were giant blue salvia and red yucca. Also citrus in bloom. My new yard (we moved in December) is an almost blank slate. I am scrambling for blooming plants since hummers should be here any day.
Gazer....you have so many choices for good flowering plants in your zone!
Four states now. Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
Difficult to say the migration has started since some birds winter in the area of these sightings. But southerly winds and fair weather will prevail this week and it's certainly time. I think we'll see some northern movement next week.
A reporting in Georgia!
We usually first see them in central Kentucky in early-to-mid April, but I remember one year being scolded in mid-March for putting a red-topped seed feeder up for the winter in the place where the ruby-throats had become accustomed to finding a nectar feeder in previous years. I was really surprised to be dive-bombed that early.
With the very sudden and quick warm up we are experiencing, I may put mine out a little sooner for the scouts.
Good site concerning Migration of Hummingbirds
http://www.gardening-for-wildlife.com/migration.html
I havent seen one yet, but its not because Im not looking ;-)
Keep watching Pam!
I think Reddirtretiree hit the nail on the head. Southerly winds have prevailed on the Louisiana coast for several days and the hummer sightings have begun. I haven't seen one myself, but they are reported to be in my area. A hummer feeder I keep on a family property in Covington, LA was empty this afternoon. Hopefully some will be at my home feeder soon.
I plant a cardinal flower every year in my small front yard foundation garden (shady). I have a
hummer feeder hanging from the awning in that area. The one I planted last year really took off -
got to about 6ft tall! And the couple hummers I got loved it. I was so hoping it would survive the
winter, but after being buried under ice for a long time (& 3-4ft of snow), it heaved up. Hope I
get as lucky with the one I'm gonna plant this season. It's gonna be an EXPENSIVE season;
lotta damage. Fingers crossed!
Mine heaved too so I don't hold out much hope that it survived. But I am not ready to yank it out yet!
They seem to be a little later than last year. My first was the 9th last year. But they were early last year here in the mid-south. The year before my first was the 28th. The Goldfinch seem to have disappeared in the last couple of days so the socks will be replaced with hummer feeders. I have the same problem as last year(what to do with the left over thistle?). Now if these darn cowbirds will go ahead and move north.
Great thread, Thank you so much for this one & the migration one you did, I will watch & wait till the frist week in may for them to get to me:)Anita
I was looking for this thread...but last year. I cant find the calendar I wrote my first sighting on, but Im sure I went right to Daves and blabbed it.
