Hummingbird Season is Peaking: Don’t Take Down Your Feeder Yet
If you've spent the summer watching tiny hummingbirds zip around your backyard, enjoy them while you can.
Fall migration is underway, and hummingbirds across the Northeast are beginning their journey south for the winter.
And here in the Hudson Valley, we're right in the middle of the action.
A study of fall hummingbird migration in southeastern New York found that migration activity peaked in late August and the first half of September, with the overwhelming majority of birds recorded between August 23 and September 15.
That means if you've got a hummingbird feeder hanging outside your house, now is absolutely not the time to take it down.
Why are they leaving?
It's not because your hummingbirds suddenly decided they hate New York.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds, the species you're most likely to see around the Hudson Valley, migrate south as the days get shorter. Their destination is generally much farther south, with many spending the winter in Mexico and Central America.
And here's an important hummingbird myth to bust:
Leaving your feeder up will NOT prevent them from migrating.
Cornell's Lab of Ornithology says hummingbirds will migrate regardless of whether feeders are available. In fact, keeping feeders out can provide an important source of energy for birds preparing for their journey, including late stragglers that may pass through after you've stopped seeing your regular visitors.
So when should Hudson Valley residents take their feeders down?
Don't rush it.
Cornell recommends keeping hummingbird feeders up for several weeks after you see the last hummingbird in your area, just in case another bird comes through that needs the extra energy before continuing south.
And remember, don't wait for the first frost. The hummingbirds aren't using your feeder as a calendar.
Keep that sugar water fresh!
If you're feeding the hummingbirds, Cornell recommends a simple mixture of one part ordinary white table sugar to four parts water.
No red food coloring is necessary.
The bigger issue is keeping the feeder clean. In warm weather, sugar water can spoil and ferment quickly, so change it before it becomes cloudy or discolored.
So if you're sitting on your porch in the next couple of weeks and one of those tiny helicopters suddenly appears...
Take a minute and watch.
That little bird may be getting ready to make a seriously impressive trip south.
Hudson Valley Covered in Canadian Wildfire Smoke
Gallery Credit: Listener submissions
