The males roughly follow an overnight temperature isothermal line in their migration, staying just about the freezing line, according to Operation RubyThroat, managed by Bill Hilton, an active hummingbird investigator and naturalist based at Hilton Pond, in York Co, SC.
Our first sighting last year wasn't until April 13, when we saw a single male. But I've got the feeders ready as of this afternoon.
Here's a young female coming towards the porch feeder last summer.

Nice web links Lisa. I bookmarked both of them. We love having the hummers around our house. I mark their arrival on or about tax day. I have lots of flowering plants that attrack them.
ReplyDeleteWe used to have a female and several males who would feed at our feeders. The female would wear herself out chasing the males away from the feeders. It was funny to watch. They came back year after year.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy following the migration north and south, and monitoring abundance. It's great fun to watch them in mid-summer visiting the feeders, gleaning insects, and rearing young (in a good year!)
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