Ruby-throated hummingbird migration

Wow, thank to one of my favorite real-time citizen science/classroom science sites (Journey North), I see that early ruby-throated hummingbirds have made it way past the Carolinas.  Check out this map.  Let it run to see the progression of the migration.

I need to get out my feeders immediately!

Hummingbirds and butterflies

We've finally started to see hummingbirds in the mountains.  They were visiting the native Impatiens capensis  (Jewelweed) below the house and the cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) planted outside the ground floor 'green room.'

I put out the hummingbird feeder again with fresh sugar solution about a week ago, and now they've included the feeder on their rounds.

front meadow bed  in late July

Similarly, butterflies, particularly swallowtails, have started to be abundant, visiting butterfly bushes in our neighborhood, as well as our purple coneflowers, Liatris, Joe Pye, and Helianthus in the front meadow bed.  It's nice to see them.

First hummingbird of the season

Hummingbirds have been seen for weeks around us, but not one had stopped by our feeder until today.

Perhaps we missed early scouts simply by being at work or elsewhere, but it was great to hear the familiar chhirring-chip of a hummingbird this evening.

It almost seemed like he/she (I didn't get a good look) was looking for the feeder that normally hangs on the crepe myrtle near the potting bench, but that's probably fanciful thinking.

Shortly thereafter, I saw him/her visiting the porch feeder, just before flying up to perch in the big oak, a favorite hummingbird circuit.

The photo posted above was taken last summer at the venerable Campsis radicans-covered arbor that overlooks the terrace at Biltmore House, in Asheville, NC.

Bird songs

It's been heartening to hear the songs of American Robins, Northern Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, and Carolina Wrens recently. It means spring is almost here.

And, according to Journey North, the spring migrants are on their way, including the Ruby-throated hummingbirds.

The changing seasons bring a delightful cycle of plant growth from vegetative growth to flowers, fruits, and seeds, the timing depending on the native origin of the plant. These plants provide cover and nesting habitat, food for caterpillars (great nestling food), and fruit and seeds, for fruit and seed-eating birds.

An excellent balance, to be sure.

Mexican hyssop

A new plant (to me) appeared this summer in local plant sales: Mexican hyssop.

Agastache mexicana belongs to a large, widespread genus, with species native to a variety of habitats, predominately in dry hilly areas of the Southwestern U.S., Mexico, Japan, and China.

There are already lots of selections, but I'm quite keen on the one that I obtained from a vendor at the Botanical Gardens of Asheville and the similar one that we had at our Garden plant sale this fall.

I thought I had a image of it sprawling out of the oak-half barrel, but apparently only kept this one, of a overnighting carpenter bee on a flower.

Bees and hummingbirds favor its large, nectar-rich flowers -- and, it has a long flowering time, so there's not much NOT to like about that.

Two more hummingbirds

A late fall view from my study

Goodness, I saw two ruby-throated hummingbirds yesterday, and two again this afternoon, much to my surprise. I topped off the feeders with more sugar water to help them on their way. They were visiting the Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) and the Mexican hyssop (Agastache mexicana) when I saw them, but we still have flowers of Salvia guaranitica, Salvia coccinea, and Buddleia.

Bill Hilton, of Hilton Pond, reported their record last sighting of a ruby-throated hummingbird as Oct. 18 (at least as of last year).

Last year, we saw our last on Oct. 12 (thanks to the discipline of blog-posting, I have a record of this).

There were a few monarchs still coming through.

And, there was lovely fall light to enjoy.

Maybe a really last hummingbird

My gardening companion saw a ruby-throated hummingbird on one of our feeders this evening. Perhaps she was the last of the season. We'll see.

Maybe a last hummingbird?

The rain poured down today. It was chilly, windy, and wet. STILL convalescing from a nasty bronchitis following the flu, I was at home, on a brief sojourn to the computer, when I noticed her (a female hummingbird) -- checking out the (currently) flowerless arbor of pipevine and jessamine outside my study window.

Yikes, time to refresh the feeders!

Fortunately I had some previously prepared nectar (aka sugar water) in the fridge. I ventured forth in the rain (hey, I'm not feeling so great, but there are hummingbirds needing sustenance out there), scrubbed the feeders, filled them up, and was happy to see her drinking deeply later in the morning.

There are a lot of flowers still open, though, so I really didn't need to be so diligent. There's Salvia guaranitica in the border, Salvia leucantha near the feeders, Mexican hyssop in the oak barrel, and some late flowers of Lonicera sempervirens outside the mudroom door. Not to mention the Buddleia, and Salvia coccinea that's reseeded here and there.

Feeding birds

In the mountains, our thistle and sunflower seed feeders received non-stop activity in early evening. Goldfinches ate niger seeds. Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, Northern Cardinals and White-Breasted Nuthatches took turns at the other feeder, after we refilled the box with black oil sunflower seeds.

We still have hummingbirds visiting the jewelweed patches, although having feeders up for them in a weekend place isn't really practical (or healthy for hummingbirds).

At home in the Piedmont of SC, we're still seeing ruby-throated hummingbirds at our flowers and feeders, but they've started to head south. We'll probably see the last visitor in mid-October, based on previous years.

Check out Operation RubyThroat to post your observations about what you see in the Eastern U.S. and Canada (where we see Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds from late spring to early fall). Bill Hilton, at Hilton Pond Natural History Center, an expert natural history investigator on hummingbird behavior, is partnering with Earth Trek in this Citizen Science project.

A hummingbird visit

Outside my office window today, I saw a female hummingbird hovering. She stayed quite a long time (at least for a hummingbird), moving around.

I think she saw her reflection, and was wondering 'who the heck was that?'

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are keenly defending their territories now, as they prepare to head south for the winter, and I suppose, wanting to load up on energy.