Comments on: Where Are They Now? http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2012/02/28/where-are-they-now-2/ A Bird Blog with Kate St. John Sat, 25 May 2013 03:00:29 +0000 hourly 1 By: Kate St. John http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2012/02/28/where-are-they-now-2/comment-page-1/#comment-17996 Kate St. John Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:43:50 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/?p=47110#comment-17996 Libby & Ray, I asked my friend Rob Protz if there were any regional issues with hummingbirds right now and he passed my question along to the Humnet Birding list, a site for folks who follow hummingbirds closely.
Their discussion is here: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/HUMN.html

I will quote them below because their conversation will be disappear in a few days (pushed down by more recent news):

Subject: Re: Question on RTHUs in KY
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:18:32 -0400

From: Nancy L. Newfield
My opinion is that this is a typical case of folks remembering the swarms of late July and August and failing to realize that this is June and many females are nesting away from feeder areas. Here in southern Louisiana, there was very little activity at our Covington banding site until this past week. Most of the customers we observed were young of the year though we did see 1 adult male color-marked from an earlier session and we caught a color-marked returnee [from 2011] female that
carried an egg. This spring, we first caught her on 1 April and she carried an egg at that time.

I think most places down here will see increased activity within 2-3 weeks. It might take a bit longer farther north.

NLN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibri
Metairie, LA USA
http://www.casacolibri.net/

From: Bob Sargent
Humnetters
Nan, as usual, sums it up nicely. This inquiry is the most frequently asked question that I receive.

I suggest keeping a ledger on Ruby-throated this year. It will ease the fears of their “demise” that occurs every year about this time.

Worry not, all is well with these tiny creatures.

Good luck all.
Bob Sargent
Clay, Alabama

]]> By: Ray Perry http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2012/02/28/where-are-they-now-2/comment-page-1/#comment-17991 Ray Perry Mon, 18 Jun 2012 11:06:18 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/?p=47110#comment-17991 We live in KY and have only seen two hummingbirds to date, June 18th. They usually arrive in late April!

]]> By: Kate St. John http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2012/02/28/where-are-they-now-2/comment-page-1/#comment-17983 Kate St. John Sun, 17 Jun 2012 00:26:13 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/?p=47110#comment-17983 Libby, it certainly sounds like something changed. Perhaps your part of the country missed getting its usual dose of hummingbirds. (Where do you live?) Or perhaps the habitat or the predators changed in your neighborhood or back yard.

]]> By: Libby Wiser http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2012/02/28/where-are-they-now-2/comment-page-1/#comment-17982 Libby Wiser Sun, 17 Jun 2012 00:16:31 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/?p=47110#comment-17982 I have hummingbird feeders (2) and every year they draw many. EXCEPT THIS year! Have seen only one. What is up with this? I miss warching these guys.

]]> By: Marcy C http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2012/02/28/where-are-they-now-2/comment-page-1/#comment-16322 Marcy C Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:01:11 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/?p=47110#comment-16322 About this photo…another from our old place when I first started taking photos and my first digital olympus camera…this hummer followed me in the house after I worked outside making spaghetti sauce and I was carrying in the kettle(covered) into the house…I finally coaxed it on to a strawbroom and was able to get it outside…my first upclose experience with hummers…since then, I rescued them from spider webs, out of mason jars after fighting and falling in and window collisions…it’s amazing to hold these little birds in your hand.

]]>