Ruby-throated Hummingbird
This is a question I hear a lot this time of year. The answer depends on several things including where you live.
One answer I often hear is:
“You should stop feeding hummingbirds in the fall so that they can begin their southern migration.”
This is actually a myth. The urge to migrate is activated by several factors, but the most significant one is the number of hours of sunlight. No matter how much food is around, when the days get shorter, the hummingbirds will move on.
I recommend leaving your feeders out for a few weeks after your see your last hummingbird. Occasionally an individual hummingbird doesn’t migrate on schedule, due to illness or injury. These late migrants will appreciate having a reliable source of food when only a few natural flowers remain in bloom. The added food source will provide the extra energy needed to complete their migration.
When will you see your last hummingbird? Well that depends on where you live. Here in New Hampshire it is around the end of September, but in southern areas of the United States it may not be until mid to late November. If you plan on feeding hummingbirds year after year, you may find it helpful to mark your calendar when you take your hummingbird feeders down. This will serve as a reminder for years to come.
For more information about hummingbirds check these links:
Hummingbird Migration
Hummingbird Migration Map
Hummingbird Feeder Recipe
Facts About Hummingbirds
Best Hummingbird Feeders
I first learned of migrating hawks last year when I was apple picking with my family. There were two guys laying flat on their backs looking
straight up through binoculars. They were calling out names of hawks to a third guy who was writing down what they were saying.
Being curious I had to ask them what they were doing. They explained that they were members of Hawk Count, an
organization that tracks raptor migrations and evaluates their population changes from year to year.
Being new to bird watching I asked them if they could give me a few tips
for watching hawks during their migration. Here’s what they had to say.
- Hawk migration starts in early September and runs through the end of October.
- Hawks are most active on clear, sunny days with mild northwest, north or northeast winds.
- Find a tall structure, hill or mountain top that has a good view to the north as that is the direction that the hawks will be coming from.
- Using binoculars that are at least 8 power, scan slowly back and forth across the sky at various heights to locate the hawks.
- Keep a good field guide handy to help identify the migrating hawks you see. Most of the hawks you see will be pretty small so knowing hawk shapes to help you identify them.
I spent a few hours last night on my deck staring into the sky and I saw the following:
3 - Red-tailed hawks
2 - Nighthawks
5 - Broad-wing hawks
If you want to see an amazing story about what you might see while hawk watching check out this story,
1541 Hawks.
If you want to have some fun and add a few raptors to you 2008 bird list, look up!
Over Labor Day weekend my wife and I took the kids to Wallis Sands State Beach in New Hampshire. It was our farewell to summer. We had perfect weather for a day at the beach. I was able to break away a few times to do a little bird watching. I have to admit that although I have been a backyard birder for years I am still a novice when it comes to bird watching in the field.
I am familiar with all the wild birds that visit my yard but I have a lot to learn when it comes to identifying wild birds that I don’t recognize. I will do my best to identify the birds in the pictures below. If you see an error PLEASE let me know.
Below are a some pictures of a few of the birds I saw. I also saw:
Cat Bird
Cardinal
Great Blue Heron
Black Capped Chickadee
I still have a lot to learn when it comes to wild bird identification. If you have any tips for me and my other readers, please use the comment area below.
Eastern Kingbird
Young Killdeer
Lesser Black Backed Gull
