A dash of red, a sprinkling of iridescent green, a coating of white, and a mad dash to the feeder—all packed into a frame about three inches long and weighing just one tenth of an ounce—what other bird could it be than a hummingbird, and in eastern North America, the only likely representative is the ruby-throated hummingbird.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds nest in open woodlands, savannas, orchards, and suburban areas using a variety of surfaces from the tops of tree branches to the tops of fence posts. Given their slight size and quick flights, hummingbirds can be difficult to see in natural areas. I often find them visiting the flowers of blue flag iris in wetland areas in June. But your best bet to see the birds, and to see them up close, is to place a hummingbird feeder filled with syrup, one part refined white sugar and four parts water, no need to add red dye. Once in place, you’ll receive dazzling displays of flight; hummingbirds accelerating in an instant only to stop on a dime; hummingbirds in combat; hummingbirds flying in sinuous waves, which early in the season might be a display for a mate; hummingbirds gleefully drinking your syrup; hummingbirds with their humming wing beat, making a variety of distinct vocalizations that you would never expect from such a small bird.
All photos above by Monica Hall
Although the birds are indeed small, there is nothing small about their migration. They fly from Wisconsin to southern Mexico, and many adults will do it in a single flight over the Gulf of Mexico and can fly about 1,400 miles in a single flight. This is happening now for many ruby-throated hummingbirds and will continue over the next couple of weeks.
You can see an animated version of this flight here: https://ebird.org/science/status-and-trends/rthhum/abundance-map-weekly?forceLogin=true
To fuel up for that flight, hummingbirds need a lot of food, and will double their weight in less than two weeks. Hummingbirds will nectar on remaining flowers and eat a varied diet of mosquitoes, gnats, bees, and spiders, even pulling small prey out of spider webs. Favorite plant species include wild bergamot, columbine, and cardinal flower. Red and orange flowers will favorably attract hummingbirds.
In Apricity, a third-year prairie restoration at Faville Grove shown above, we had an abundance of wild bergamot flowering this year. There were so many blooms that we could hear the buzz of pollinators as we were walking through the prairie, looking for invasive weeds.
Just this past week we collected tons of that wild bergamot seed, but at its height in mid-July it must have provided abundant nectar for hummingbirds.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds can be tricky to find in migration. Typically, the adults leave first, and more often make a direct and nearly non-stop flight to Mexico. Juveniles may take longer, often sticking to coastlines for easier navigation, and often stopping more often to fuel up for their journey. Upon arrival in Mexico and south Florida the birds will occupy citrus groves, dry forest, and scrub habitats.
You can look forward to their return to Wisconsin in early to mid-May, when they once again become a dazzling jewel of inconceivable speed and agility, moving from flower to flower, or feeder to feeder.
Written by Drew Harry, Faville Grove Sanctuary land steward
