Yesterday, I posted a video of a male ruby-throated hummingbird using a bush by the window as a shelter from the rain. Here are a few shots of the little beauty. Here’s the video in case you missed it.
A few more hummingbird shots
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Tag Archives: Ruby-throated hummingbird
Hummingbird scratching video
Well, if he’s going to sit right outside my window on a rainy day then I’m going to make a YouTube video of him. First hummingbird I’ve seen this year (May 4, 2022, in Bethel, Conn.)
For the Birds: Hummingbird feeder timing
Here is the latest For the Birds article. It was published a few weeks ago in newspapers, but is still relevant as September comes to an end.
When should I bring in my hummingbird feeders? It’s a common question and may be answered the same way as so many other questions may be answered: It depends.
The answer depends on your tolerance for changing the sugar water in the feeders and your patience for watching a feeder that may not receive any visitors. Hummingbirds started to migrate a few weeks ago and some have gone south already.
With migration under way, now is definitely not the time to bring the feeders in. Hummingbirds need to pretty much double their weight to make their arduous migration, particularly when they reach the Gulf of Mexico and fly the 500 miles without rest.
Sure, there are plenty of natural food sources for hummingbirds this time of year, but an easy meal at a feeder now and then gives the tiny birds a bit of a break. Patches of jewelweed are another favorite of hummingbirds and they are still blooming. Other than feeders, I think I’ve seen more hummingbirds at jewelweed (touch-me-not) patches than any other venue.
Continue readingA few hummingbirds – while they last
The hummingbirds that haven’t flown south yet will likely do so soon. Here are a few shots of “my” hummingbirds that are still hanging around.
Moving forward
A ruby-throated hummingbird perches on a rope in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.
For the past several weeks I’ve posted a Birds to Brighten Your Day photo, featuring my best shot from the day before. Now that it’s Memorial Day Weekend, states are slowly opening and migration is winding down, it’s a good time to move on from Birds to Brighten Your Day. I hope your days are indeed brightening and you keep on checking out BirdsofNewEngland.com. I still hope to post something every day. It could be my best shot from the day before, or even that day, or one of the many shots I didn’t use over the past several weeks. Of course, I’ll continue to post my latest For the Birds nature column too.
I’ll start off with a ruby-throated hummingbird. I’m not sure how they missed being featured on Birds to Brighten Your Day because they are always a fan favorite. “My” hummingbirds arrived on May 1 (or was it May 2?) and have been buzzing around ever since. For years, I never had luck attracting hummingbirds. Now that I’m several years into getting them I consider them an integral part of summer.
Hummingbird Week, photo 7
A ruby-throated hummingbird perches on a thorny branch.
I’ll be venturing out of New England for a few days and don’t want the birds here to think I forgot about them so I’m instituting my own Hummingbird Week. Each day this week I’ll post a new or old photo of a ruby-throated hummingbird, the only hummer that occurs regularly in New England. There is no such thing as too many hummingbird photos, after all. Each day will also include a joke or fun fact about hummingbirds. This post will wrap up Birds of New England’s Hummingbird Week.
Fun Fact: Ruby-throated hummingbirds spend their winters in Central America or southern Mexico.
Hummingbird Week, photo 6
I’ll be venturing out of New England for a few days and don’t want the birds here to think I forgot about them so I’m instituting my own Hummingbird Week. Each day this week I’ll post a new or old photo of a ruby-throated hummingbird, the only hummer that occurs regularly in New England. There is no such thing as too many hummingbird photos, after all. Each day will also include a joke or fun fact about hummingbirds.
Fun Fact: On average, hummingbirds beat their wings about 50 times per second.
Hummingbird Week, photo 5 (Happy Fourth of July)
A Ruby-throated Hummingbird hovers near a feeder at the Errol (N.H.) Motel in the summer of 2015.
I’ll be venturing out of New England for a few days and don’t want the birds here to think I forgot about them so I’m instituting my own Hummingbird Week. Each day this week I’ll post a new or old photo of a ruby-throated hummingbird, the only hummer that occurs regularly in New England. There is no such thing as too many hummingbird photos, after all. Each day will also include a joke or fun fact about hummingbirds. This is one of my favorites because of its patriotic feel.
Fun Fact: There are more than 300 species of hummingbirds, all occurring in the Western Hemisphere. About 12 species may be found in the U.S. with the ruby-throated hummingbird the only one regularly occurring east of the Mississippi River.
Hummingbird Week, photo 4
A Ruby-throated Hummingbird perches on a branch in Brookfield, Conn., summer 2016.
I’ll be venturing out of New England for a few days and don’t want the birds here to think I forgot about them so I’m instituting my own Hummingbird Week. Each day this week I’ll post a new or old photo of a ruby-throated hummingbird, the only hummer that occurs regularly in New England. There is no such thing as too many hummingbird photos, after all. Each day will also include a joke or fun fact about hummingbirds.
Q: What does a cat call a hummingbird?
Hummingbird Week, photo 3
I’ll be venturing out of New England for a few days and don’t want the birds here to think I forgot about them so I’m instituting my own Hummingbird Week. Each day this week I’ll post a new or old photo of a ruby-throated hummingbird, the only hummer that occurs regularly in New England. There is no such thing as too many hummingbird photos, after all. Each day will also include a joke or fun fact about hummingbirds.
Fun fact: Their wings aren’t the only things that move fast as a hummingbird’s tongue can sip from a feeder at 13 times per second.
Birds of New England.com 