| An increase in hummingbird visitors, has energized my quest for the “perfect” hummingbird photo. I also attempted to get as many hummingbirds in one shot as I can. This year so far, I have only got three. In years past I have netted as many as seven in one photo. There were two likely reasons for the uptick in ruby-throated hummingbirds. Fledglings have left the nest, and the hummingbirds have started to migrate. Back in the spring, my first hummingbird photo was April 29. This observation was repeated along the East Coast according to reports on journeynorth.org. A Connecticut resident spotted a ruby-throated hummingbird on April 21. “The inland edge of the migration is just north of Pennsylvania’s southern border, with sightings dotting the map from Pittsburgh east,” said an article on the site. In a post by Jacob Swanson on May 23, the site reported that the hummingbirds had reached the northern part of their range. An Indiana resident said she saw three hummingbirds trying to nectar on her Major-wheeler honeysuckle vine. “Hummingbirds love honeysuckles, and we do too. Their trumpet-shaped flowers are pretty to look at and great for feeding hummingbirds. One important note is that I am not talking about Japanese Honeysuckle, an aggressive, invasive plant whose planting is very much not advised,” Swanson added. Last year I purchased one of these plants, lonicera sempervirens. There were no blossoms last year, and the vine seemed to be infested with bugs. However, this year, it vined out and sported some brightly colored blooms |       |
The honeysuckle vine was described as a deciduous vine which can grow up to 10 to 15 feet tall. While the vine is frequently advertised as a native plant. It is primarily native to the southeastern U.S., but has naturalized in other parts of the eastern U.S.
I haven’t seen any hummingbirds on the vine’s blooms. However, there were a few hanging out in the general area.
| After my initial sighting, more of the tiny birds started to filter in. For most of the summer, I believed I had at least two pairs visiting my yard. I had four feeders out and the two males would spend their time guarding them. I questioned whether these were the same hummingbirds I had seen the year before. “If you think the same hummingbirds, come back to your feeders and flowers every year, you might be right! Banding research shows they are likely to return to the area where they hatched,” said a post on hummingbird facts at birdsandblooms.com. The article also touched on how fast hummingbirds are in general. “They’re … among the fastest fliers for their size, reaching speeds of up to 37 mph, and up to 60 mph in courtship dives,” the post said. They are fast and furious according to that and other posts. “They spend a lot of time chasing other birds away from the feeders or flowers they’re protecting,” said the birdsandblooms.com post. “Hummers are also notoriously hostile around feeders and gardens, where aggressive males and females alike strive to defend their food sources,” said an article by Alex Tey on www.audubon.org. Even though I currently have five feeders out, the feisty fliers competed for the sugar water. Even though I currently have five feeders out, the feisty fliers competed for the sugar water. With the recent heat and lack of rain, bees have been drawn to the feeders. I added a couple of bee feeders and am making up about 8 cups of sugar water daily. I wondered if the higher temperatures shortened the life of the hummingbird food. A post on birdwatchingtoday.com said that in hot weather nectar may need replaced every three to four days. “Generally, hummingbird food can stay fresh for about five to seven days. However, this timeline can vary due to environmental factors like temperature, humidity, sunlight, and airborne contaminants,” the post said. “Sunlight can accelerate the degradation of hummingbird nectar. The UV rays in sunlight can cause the nectar to break down and become less appealing to hummingbirds. To combat this, choose a location for your feeder that receives partial shade during the day,” the post continued. I had heard that boiling my hummingbird food was necessary and may make it last longer. However, the internet has different opinions on boiling the water-sugar mixture. Some claimed it helps dissolve the sugar and remove impurities. Others said that outdoor contaminants would reach the feeder once placed outside anyway. Meanwhile, the little birds continued to fuel up for their upcoming migration south. “During the Fall Migration the Hummingbirds need to drink a lot of Nectar for the long flight. They need to increase their body weight by 25 to40 percent,” said a post on hummingbird-news.com which is a site that sells feeders. “In September and October, the Ruby-throated Hummers will gather in Texas, Louisiana and Florida. They will be preparing for their final flight either across the Gulf of Mexico or by land route to Mexico,” the post continued. “During the non-breeding months, ruby-throats join many other hummingbird species in Central America,” said Alex Trey, a reporter for Audubon Magazine. “Although 24 hummingbird species have been recorded in the United States, the Ruby-throated is the only one that breeds east of the Mississippi River, with its range extending throughout the Midwest as far as Texas and encompassing much of southern Canada,” Trey wrote. Last year, my final photo of a hummingbird was on September 3. It dawned on me that my time to photograph them this year might be limited. As reported before, the latest reported sighting of a ruby-throated hummingbird in Venango County was during the first week of October. |             |
However, folks were encouraged to keep feeders out until November for any stragglers or western hummingbirds that might stray into the region.
Until then, I decided to continue to stalk the feeders to capture the fast and the furious. That’s just the nature of things ‘round here.
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