The Hummingbirds are Back

This male hummingbird matches the colors of this Red Twig Dogwood

I glanced ed out my window during the first week in May and thought I saw a hummingbird fly by, so I filled up the feeder to see if they had returned from their winter migration. By noontime a male and female were sitting and sipping very deliberately the sugar nectar from the feeder. Most likely replenishing their reserves. This pair will now be with us throughout the summer, visiting the flowers in the yard, and the feeder throughout the day. They have become very accustomed to people and don't mind giving us a show while we sit outside on the patio.

If you live in New England and you see a hummingbird, it is most likely a Ruby-Throated. The male is unmistakeable with its bright orange ring around its throat. The female does not have any red, but is green, with a white breast. The other native species is the Rufous of which the male has an orange throat. In the fall of 2013, a Calliope hummingbird was observed in Manchester for several weeks. This was a very unusual sighting for this part of the country.

Hummingbirds are effective pollinators as their feathers on their head are a good collector of pollen which is then transferred from plant to plant. In addition to eating nectar, hummingbirds also catch and eat insects while in flight. During the day, they are almost constantly moving with a heart rate that can exceed 1200 beats per minute. Because of this constant movement and burning of calories, they need to consume almost their entire body weight each day in food. At night, they enter a hibernation like state called torpor1. Along the East Coast hummingbirds will migrate as far south as panama and may reside in Central America or Mexico. Amazingly these birds can survive five to seven years in the wild.

There have been recent concerns that with the warming seasonal temperatures and the changes in plant bloom times that hummingbirds can be adversely effected. Since 90% of their diet is nectar, the types and availability of flowers throughout the season is critical. In addition to planting a variety of plants attractive to hummingbirds (honeysuckle, bee balm, jewel weed, columbine, hyssop), the Audubon Society is creating a database to track their location and activity. The program began in 2013 and is seeking volunteers to regularly report sightings. For further information, go to http://www.hummingbirdsathome.org/.


There isn't much in nature that is as amazing as these tiniest of birds and with minimal effort, we can help ensure that they will adapt and continue to thrive in spite of a changing climate. 

1Texas A&M University. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-62_pollinators-hummingbirds.htm