Hummingbirds are migrating

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird migration has begun. Hummingbirds are showing up at feeders in Southeast Texas now. Their numbers will continue to increase as the birds, some that nested as far north as Canada, make their way south to the coast. Unlike in the spring, the hummingbirds follow a land route for their southward migration and do not fly straight across the Gulf of Mexico. So, all the adult birds that came through in the spring move southward along with the juveniles that hatched this year. The result is a lot of hummingbirds on the move! It is time to put your feeders out. The nectar solution is four parts water to one part plain white table sugar. Boil the water and add the sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Let it cool and put it in your feeders. Change the nectar in your feeders every three days to prevent mold, mildew, fungus and bacteria from growing. Some of these can be lethal to the hummingbirds. Store excess nectar in your refrigerator for up to two weeks. Watch for mold in the nectar before filling your feeders. We should see hummingbirds at our feeders into October. A feeder can help hummingbirds keep up the energy they need to continue southward. Planting flowers in your backyard can help too. My hummingbird garden has turk's cap, abutilon and firespike. Next year it will have some red salvia.

I haven't been birding on the property in quite a while. It's just too hot and humid. The fall neotropical migration hasn't begun in full yet, so I will wait until September to get out and see what is going on.

I have seen quite a few Mississippi Kites flying around as they are about to begin their southward migration. Hawk Watches are gearing up for another season. If you've never checked out a hawk watch, you should go. There is one at Smith Point in Chambers County and one in Lake Jackson. You can see an unbelievable number of hawks and have people who are experienced in hawk identification help you learn how to be better too.

New Property Bird - #196

This one has kind of a funny story to go along with it. I was driving to work on Friday on FM 3180 about halfway between I-10 and FM 565. I saw something along the left side of the road on the shoulder. As I passed it, I realized it was two Fulvous Whistling-Ducks with two or three ducklings. The first thought I had was that they need to get off the road or they're going to get killed. My second thought was that I could get them, take them down to my pond and count them as a new property species. Deciding that would be unethical, and not to mention that it would put me really, really late for work, I went on. Saturday morning, I was walking to my car to leave for work and heard a high-pitched whistling above me. I looked up, expecting to see Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks and it was a flock of five Fulvous Whistling-Ducks. So, I got to count them on my property list without cheating!

The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are beginning to show up. I've seen at least two individuals at my feeders. I'm trying to get pictures with the BirdCam, but that's proving to be a little frustrating! It seems they are so small they don't trigger the motion sensor even when it's set on the highest sensitivity. When I get it close enough for them to trigger it, it is too close and the pictures are out of focus. I did get a couple of shots of a female where you can really see the iridescence on her back. Hopefully I'll have more to post later.