Better late than never...
Back in May, I sent an email to Cornell University to ask if they knew why we didn't have any hummingbirds this spring. I received a response from them today! I had almost forgotten about it. I saw a new email in my inbox this morning and was trying to figure out who I knew named "Cornell". According to the email, Cornell has received many letters from people in the southeast concerned about the decline in hummers this year. They think the decline has been caused by the drought. They also are concerned about how Hurricane Ike will affect the hummer population next year.
We have a few hummers visiting the feeders now. Since the days are getting shorter, they will be migrating. Be sure to keep fresh sugar water for them in your feeders. You do not have to worry about causing them to linger and not migrate. They know when to go. They will not stay unless they get trapped in a garage or something like that. I leave my feeders up until they completely stop feeding. Sometimes, I forget to take them down.
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2 comments:
Hey, Fairlight! We put up a hummingbird feeder 2-3 weeks ago (at our new house), and we've seen at least one hummingbird every day we've been there. So pretty. I also saw a woodpecker today.
I can't wait to live there and see my birds daily!
Now, the suet and the other feeder aren't getting touched. Any ideas about those? (I wonder if our bird seed is rancid in the one feeder, but we just bought the suet. Weird.)
Angie in VA
((((Angie)))) Just leave the suet up and give them a chance to find it. Woodpeckers love suet, especially downies and red bellies.
You may need to check the seeds if you think they may be rancid. If they haven't gotten wet, they are probably fine. It may just take a while for them to find the feeder.There's an abundance of food right now and my feeders aren't seeing as much activity.
I can't wait until you are in that new home! You can birdwatch and tell me all about it!
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