Where did Summer Go? bye..bye..birdie!!
by Edna Wilson, Master Gardener 2017
Autumn is coming soon and the Hummingbirds (Hummers) will soon prepare for their fall migration flight back to Mexico and South America. This flight will take approximately two weeks allowing for weather, etc. Most birds will stop along the way to rest and feed. The Hummer’s flying speed averages 27 miles per hour. If the hummer is flying across the Gulf of Mexico it can take 18 to 24 hours of nonstop flying. Once a hummer leaves shore it must continue until it finds dry ground again. The migration is triggered by the amount of daylight, not the amount of available food. It is important to leave some of your feeders up and filled with fresh nectar for two weeks after you see your last hummingbird visitor. This will allow for other migrating hummers to stop and eat on their journey. At this time of the season there may not be enough wildflowers/flowers for the hummers to eat. Leaving your feeders up will not cause the hummers to remain too long before they migrate.
Instinct will prevail. The hummers migrate because they can’t withstand freezing temperatures for long periods of time. If cold weather comes early or an unexpected cold period hits the hummers put their body in a state of torpor where they can shut down their functions and drop their body temperature and slow their heartbeat to almost nothing. In the torpor state the hummers often hang upside down. Don’t disturb them. When it warms up they wake their body up and continue on their journey. Before migrating the hummers double their body weight before they take off to allow for their long flight. The average weight of a hummer is 3 grams which is in comparison the weight of a penny.
During September it is good to increase the sugar nectar using a formula of 3 parts water to 1 part sugar. This will allow them to increase their calorie intake. (Normal sugar nectar formula is 4 to 1) The male hummers will migrate first followed by the females and then the younger birds. The hummers do not migrate in masses. They take on their own journey individually. It is a legend/myth that the hummers hitchhike on the back of geese or other large birds!
Once hummers are gone it’s important to clean up all the feeders, inspect for any for damage, and have them ready for next April when the scout male hummers will migrate back and be ready to fight for their territory again. The hummers do remember their good food sources from the previous season and will return to those feeder locations and be ready to amaze you with their daily aerial displays.