Keep Your Hummingbird Feeders Up!

I know, all of you are probably like, "Mike, it's getting into the 30's now...why would I keep my hummingbird feeders up??" Good question...I'll tell you. It's very complicated so this may take awhile....just kidding, it's very simple: they're still around. Yep, as crazy as that sounds. In the Southwest, you guys are probably saying "pft please, a hundred of those things knock on my window every morning I don't fill the feeders." True, it's common knowledge in the West that hummers are around all winter...not in the East though. In fact, it's very rare for one to show up beyond mid-October. Some Ruby-throated Hummingbirds stick around through the Fall by accident. However, Rufous Hummingbirds migrate along the East Coast in very small numbers through November and even into December. Both of these species have to resort to feeders for food because most flowers have gone away for the winter. So it's very important that those feeders stay up in case of that rare chance a hummer visits it. They have a very long journey to South America, and need all the energy they can get to make it. If you're not familiar with the migration of hummingbirds, I'm going to post a video in the next couple of days about all of the ABA's hummingbirds which I will link to this post. So stay tuned!

Good hummingbirding!

- Mike

Rufous Hummingbird in Fanwood, NJ

November 2013