Starting on the first of March, we began to place out a single “scout” hummingbird feeder with a small bit of nectar inside, keeping it changed and cleaned so the nectar was fresh. The game camera is fastened to the side of the porch, aimed at the feeder on a shepherd’s hook. I will tie my “lucky hanky” (my red bandana I’ve used for the past 3 or 4 years) to the hook when it gets better weather, to further move in the breeze and catch their attention. It’s nearly time for the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds to make their way North across the Gulf of Mexico.
We do not use red dyes in the feeder, nor store-bought mixes, using the 1:4 (sugar:water) ratio with much success over the past handful of years. I so wish my Grandmother was alive today in a way, healthy and in her prime, so I could teach her how people have come to not use those dyes and share my hummingbird visitor stories with her. Being there at her farm, with a dozen or more feeders scattered between the front and back porch as countless Rubies held aerial jousts for the prized perch, really fed my love for these beautiful little jewels.
March 18th, 2021 marked our first seen visitor last year, a beautiful adult male in all his ruby coloring. On April 8th, we then spotted the first female. The year prior to this, I first noticed a visitor on April Fool’s of all times. I made myself a mental note – “fill the feeders on fool’s” to remember to put the feeder out on the 1st, but they came in the middle of March last year. This year, I am prepared just in time for their ultimate arrival. A cold snap and rainy weather, however, I feel will make their journey all the more difficult.
I was recommended the book “A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America” by Sheri L. Williamson (which I picked up into the migration season last year) and the book helped further pinpoint the expected general arrival times of each species. Ruby-throated are expected to hit those Gulf bordering areas around the first part of March, and arriving near my area in mid-March (which I learned to be true). I also learned more about how sharing “citizen-science” type observations on places like Journey North not only helps those collecting data such as migration times, but also benefits people who want to know when to expect their tiny visitors and wondering if they are in their area yet.
We anxiously await their arrival, and will be sure to update as soon as our first arrival visits. Please make sure to visit our other YouTube channel, Homestead Hummingbirds, and subscribe to see videos of these beauties!
Thank you for reading as we continue our updates in written form.
Please help us request a large chain pulls their nectar mixes containing red dyes: https://www.change.org/dollargeneralhummingbirds
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Wolf Branch Homestead 