Not many hummers and fall migration

The hummingbirds haven't increased in numbers at my feeders at all. I do see different dominant birds out there. Last year it was mid-September before they really thickened up at the feeders.

Not too long ago, I heard Indigo Buntings in the weedy areas of the yard. Now that summer is over, I'll probably start heading down into the woods to see if I can find any fall migrants. The first warbler I saw on the property was in Sept. 2003 when a Canada Warbler popped out while I was in the woods. Fall migration can be just as productive as spring, but it can be more challenging. The females and juveniles can be very difficult to identify, as can males that have already molted into non-breeding plumage.

Hummingbirds on the Increase

Yesterday afternoon I watched my feeders for about fifteen minutes and counted at least five hummingbirds around them. I'll probably get one of my large feeders out this weekend and put it up. They always seem increase dramatically in numbers after I get one of those feeders up. As of yesterday, the dominant bird was a male. I saw several females and/or juveniles flying around, but he was not allowing them to drink very long. I wonder what affect the wet summer will have on the hummingbird numbers. Last year when it was pretty dry, they arrived really late and didn't stay that long.

Hummingbird Feeders Are Out

I got my hummingbird feeders set up this morning. I put out three feeders. So far I've only seen one hummingbird around them. As soon as I see more, I'll put out one of my bigger ones and see how many show up. It will be interesting to see if the dogs have any impact on them. If they do, I may have to reconsider the placement of them.

Juvie Bluebirds and others

The juvenile bluebirds are flying around and feeding a lot in the yard today. They are starting to get some really blue feathers in their tails and wings. They still look like juveniles on their head and breast. I only see two of them at a time. So, the other two are either somewhere else or didn't make it.

I put some seed in my feeders today and within five minutes a male cardinal and a Eurasian Collared-Dove were feeding. I have my suet out warming up so I can put some in my suet log for the Carolina Wrens.

Still no increase in the numbers of hummingbirds. I am going to move my pole to the front yard tomorrow and hang two or three feeders to see if anything comes to them yet. I always get really excited this time of year in anticipation of the hummingbirds' arrival. I know that by the time they leave in October I'll be ready for them to go because of having to mix up so much sugar water, but they are fun while I have them here!