Ready for a “dog fight’ with the competition. Even during migration the young hummingbirds still battle for the best feeding source.
Even if I don’t have time to watch the hummingbirds frequently during the day, I know that most of them have started their fall migration to Central America. The best indicator is the level of liquid in our hummingbird feeders. We have four feeders hanging from the porch or in the front yard and during peak times in August, when the new generation is buzzing around, we cook about 1.7 liters each day of the 1:4 sugar / water mixture. The demand has dropped considerably during the last couple weeks. The birds we see at the moment are most likely different ones every day. The last hummer is usually seen at the end of September or sometimes during first week in October. They need a lot of energy to make the long journey south. Many of them cross the gulf of Mexico in a single flight. That is amazing! For almost seven long months we will be without them. Next year, at the end of April we expect them back as always.
I photographed this young male earlier this month and I’m always wondering if the birds ever come back to the same place again. I guess I’ll never know…