Where are all the hummingbirds?

<p>Morning all,<br>

<br />Is something going on with the hummingbird population? I keep 2 or 3 feeders around the house and enjoy sitting for a time and photographing the ones near by. Usually I will have a dozen or so in the area with some of them nesting very close by. So far this year I have not seen a single one. Usually if I let the feeders run down one or two will come to the back door and stare at me until I get out there and resupply them. No such activity this season so far. Has something happened to them? Are they just vacationing some place else? Maybe they have found a nicer part of town. A number of people in this area are quite serious about having a nice group of hummers in their yards and take good care of them. So far no one I know has seen any. </p>

<p>Rick H.</p>

<p>Not sure where you are Rick, but I'm in South-Central PA (Harrisburg area), and have had almost no hummingbird action. I've never had a lot, but in previous years, the feeder has normally attracted a few visits throughout each day. We only get the ruby-throated here. Unfortunately, I can't offer an explanation, but I can certainly corroborate your observation. </p>

<p>Granted we don't have all that much here in NW FL, but so far this year, zip, nada.</p>

<p>Not sure what is going on. </p>

<p>I seem to recall that Rick is in Alabama??</p>

<p>Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we seem to have the normal number of hummingbirds this spring. In fact, since this is an El Nino year, we have had more rain and therefore more flowers. The flowers attract more hummingbirds.</p>

<p>Here in Vermont I've seen one or two. We don't feed them and don't see a lot, but at least there's a little action. It's been a good year for flowers and flowering shrubs, but we have not seen an upsurge of hummingbirds. What we're not seeing this year are snakes and frogs. I know there's been a die-off of frogs, but had not expected so few snakes. </p>

<p>Rick, thank you for posting. I'm seeing the same thing thing in Santa Barbara county, southern California. We normally get Ana's Hummingbirds all year around, and others seasonally. I'm not seeing them this year.</p>

<p>Just South of Denver, we have about the normal numbers, without doing a scientific comparison.</p>

<p>Did something disrupt the Eastern flyways? The recent storms seem a little early, but I would have guessed that they would change pattern by more than a few days.</p>

<p>Sorry I forgot to say I am in Alabama, a couple hours south of Birmingham. Shun had me pegged. I'm surprised that there seems to be a general smaller group of hummingbirds all around. We have 3 or 4 types here that I am used to seeing but I have to admit I don't study them closely enough to know their names.</p>

<p>Rick H.</p>

<p>I volunteer at Lady Bird Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas and see lots of hummingbirds out there. In fact, this year I saw baby hummingbirds being fed by the parent for the first time. In Texas we have lots of Black-Chin hummingbirds and they especially like the Big Red Sage that grows in this area.</p><div></div>

<p>I am in California and my work has a very large garden in front of my office area. Last year there were humming birds out all the time and the garden was full of them. I could sit in the garden and photograph humming birds all day long. </p>

<p>This year we have a lot of flowers blooming in the garden but very few humming birds. Now I am lucky if I see 1 or 2 humming birds in the garden.</p>

At this time of the year, in Alabama you would have only one species...Ruby-throated. In winter you are

likely to have at least the western-nesting Rufous Hummingbird.

 

Typically, here in Pennsylvania, there are a fair number of hummingbirds that visit feeder during

migration, then many people will say "where are all my hummingbirds". They are here, just in lower

numbers and there are wild flowers in bloom plus insects, so there is less of a need for nectar.

Additionally, when hummingbirds migrate, they will drink and drink from a feeder as their metabolism is

very high. Put these combined reason together and it adds up to less feeder visits during the nesting

season which is now.

 

I've read about one hummingbird banded in Pennsylvania and was recaptured in Alabama less than a

day later. That is incredible!

 

Visit the American Birding Association http://birding.aba.org/ in click on a state to see a listserv about

birds. To post questions to a forum, you have to join the listserv.

<p>I live in Central Georgia and there is a semi drought in some parts of the state,,<br>

Flowers blooming seems to be way behind normal..<br>

I'm no expert but maybe a reason..<br>

I have a few that visit every day..</p>

<p>I'm in Indiana. I briefly had one at my home (not my feeder), we have one nesting on campus (UIndy) and have seen a couple on hikes, but I agree, the numbers of Ruby Throateds seem to be way down here as well.</p>

<p>I now have several visiting all day long and fighting over the feeds..</p>

<p>Atlanta. A few. I think more of the fall migration so not sure if low in number now.</p>