Hi Birdwatchers!

By now, many of you have seen your first returning Ruby-
throated Hummingbird. Isn't it amazing that a little bird weighing only three grams can remember exactly where your feeder is after flying all the way from Mexico or Belize? We often hear stories of spring birds flying up to where a feeder is usually hanging and hovering at the empty hook, causing the homeowner to rush out and put the feeder back up! We recommend keeping a feeder up all winter, of course, but if you don't, the first day of spring is always a good reminder date. Banding records prove that these hummers usually follow the same routes and use the same yards from year to year.

Most of the birds we see during late March and April are migrating. You will always see fewer birds in the spring since they are in a big hurry to reach their breeding grounds (usually near where they hatched themselves), and they don't linger like they do in late summer. Some may stay and nest, but for many of these hummers, we are just a fuel stop along their migration route. Ruby-throats nest all the way into Canada. Check out the Hummer Migration Map at www.hummingbirds.net.

If you are lucky, and especially if you live in a rural area, you may see some resident Ruby-throats during the months of May, June and early July that are nesting in your area. Female Ruby-throats are single moms. The male's only duty is to find and protect a good territory from other males. After mating, the female will build a nest, incubate the eggs, feed the hatchlings and send them on their way all by herself. Most females have two broods each summer here in the south, so that's a lot of work!

Late July, August and September are the months we always see the most Ruby-throats. Breeding is winding down, the population explodes with young birds, and the southward migration begins. But unlike in the rush of spring migration, fall migration is much more relaxed. Birds rest at each stop for longer periods of time, feeding heavily at feeders to put on fat for their trip across the Gulf of Mexico. So don't be too disappointed if you see fewer birds in the spring, you will definitely see more later in the summer!