Hummers still here: Strange year, normally our humming birds depart the last week of August. After we would get a few stragglers migrating through. Now we still have our birds in mid...

Bear2 Loc: Southeast,, MI

Strange year, normally our humming birds depart the last week of August.
After we would get a few stragglers migrating through.
Now we still have our birds in mid September.
We are in Southeast Michigan, anybody notice an extended season this year?

Duane

Bear2 Loc: Southeast,, MI

Bear2 wrote:

Strange year, normally our humming birds depart the last week of August.
After, we would get a few stragglers migrating through.
Now we still have our birds in mid September.
We are in Southeast Michigan, anybody notice an extended season this year?

Duane

Old Timer Loc: Greenfield, In.

I am south of you in central In. just east Indy. and still have some stranglers the last three or four day. The first of the week the were around my feeders two or more it seem like about all the time. I believe with all the rains and late blooming plants they have stayed a little longer. It was a good year for photography as they were at feeders a lot.

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

I haven't seen any here in Pa for the last 2 weeks. That doesn't mean they are gone, I just havent seen them. I recently read an article about them. People say to stop feeding them the end of August so they dont hang around then freeze when it gets cold. The article written by some type of expert says, they leave when mother nature tells them to leave, not when the food runs out.

Silver506 Loc: Colorado

It was a monumental season for hummers in Boulder, CO and we still have stragglers passing through too.

damurphy Loc: Medusa NY

Here in the Northern Catskill mountains of NY the regular crew has departed but we're still getting migrant stragglers. Usually we don't even see stragglers at this time.

dalematt Loc: Goderich, Ontario, Canada

Saw one 3 days ago. Probably a straggler. I live in southern Ontario east of Bay City MI.

bdhelm2 Loc: Willoughby, Ohio

I remember a few years back, we had a few on our feeder in the first week of October !

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

I don't know the different kinds of hummingbirds, but here on the west coast, just north of WA, we have hummingbirds year round.
On the advice of the staff in the store where I bought the feeders, I keep the hummingbird feeder all year, just make sure the contents don't freeze, an freshen it every two or three days.

thelazya Loc: Wendell, MN

West Central MN, still have ours here.

BobD21 Loc: Iowa USA

Yes , we still have hummers , they arrived late and are staying late , I like it . West Des Moines , Iowa

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

Bear2 wrote:

Strange year, normally our humming birds depart the last week of August.
After we would get a few stragglers migrating through.
Now we still have our birds in mid September.
We are in Southeast Michigan, anybody notice an extended season this year?

Duane

DO NOT FEED THEM AS MUCH!!! Make them want to migrate.

Being from Michigan, you should know that in general, if there is a good food supply, many birds will stay until the last moment. Sometimes that's too long!

There have been times when birds have stayed in a northern area because food was plentiful. Then a big snow storm in the states south of them hit. It killed off the food supply. The end result was that the birds who couldn't migrate a long enough distance fast enough ended up starving to death or it drastically thinned the flock out.

In the case of many Canada Geese (that people feed all winter), they stayed but they can survive the winter, Hummers can't. I used to live just North of Detroit, MI where, to this day, they have a flock of Canada Geese that I was told, did not even know how to migrate South. That was words from a naturalist not a common person like most of us.

Enjoy the birds during the normal season but don't try to modify Mother Nature. Some birds will stay too long and get trapped.

d2b2 Loc: Catonsville, Maryland, USA

Bear2 wrote:

Strange year, normally our humming birds depart the last week of August.
After we would get a few stragglers migrating through.
Now we still have our birds in mid September.
We are in Southeast Michigan, anybody notice an extended season this year?

Duane

There has been a fair amount of evidence that humming birds are lasting in northern areas for longer and longer periods of time, over the past several years. One study showed that they have totally wintered in areas where they have historically have left for warmer climes. Global warming? I have no idea and being in Maryland, I have no clue as to what is traditional in the Michigan area. But it should not be surprising, at any rate.

Cordell Okie Loc: Edmond, OK

Still have hummers in Oklahoma City. saw 3 this morning. Attached is picture I took yesterday

(Download)

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

Bear2 wrote:

Strange year, normally our humming birds depart the last week of August.
After we would get a few stragglers migrating through.
Now we still have our birds in mid September.
We are in Southeast Michigan, anybody notice an extended season this year?

Duane

We're also in SE Michigan and our guys are also still here. Anticipated departure date is 9/20 or 9/21. I've kept track of their arrival and departure dates for years and those dates have been like clockwork.
Enjoy!