Hummingbird central going off center

female hummingbird feeding at hummingbird feeder

The great hummingbird migration officially arrived here over the weekend. Its like the social director blew a whistle and the last one out of the pool is a rotten apple.  Mature males left about the first of the month. We had one, Napolean, remain behind for a bit, but he left this morning. He hasn't come around today and it is quite windy, so we think he picked up a front and moved south.

It is a really sad time here at Shore Side, we miss those little critters like crazy. They are the most fascinating creature I have ever encountered and I just can't escape sitting and watching them for extended periods. I have learned so much from doing that, wasted time to some I guess, but to me it was well spent on a fascinating endeavor. It occurred to me that I was making a big mistake sharing hummingbird secrets at the time that they are departing the north, so I will hold off with any more tips until the early spring. I figured out yesterday that they stay here for about five months of the year. A very pleasurable five months for sure.  They are still consuming huge amounts of food, just under five gallons a week, so we do still have a big population here. From what we can tell the remaining hummers are juveniles. Some appear to be older than others...maybe there were two broods over the summer? Many of them are growing in the irredescent red feathers around their neck, so they must be males. All of them are stuffing themselves frantically to fatten up for their long journey. We thought we would see lots of transients coming through from points north, but we haven't really noticed that it is happening as we expected. Maybe it is still early. This wonder of nature is just fascinating to witness, a lovely bonus of living out here on the edge. We often see a hummingbird dogfight at our window, and I love to hear the chatter in the garden.