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It is TIME for the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds to start moving north! Last year,the first Ruby-Throated was reported in central Louisiana on Feb. 28th of 2006.

The 2007 Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Migration map is NOW ready at Hummingbirds.net!!! There are NO reports of Hummers, Yet. Will one of our members be in the Gulf Coast/Texas area be the FIRST person to report a Ruby-Throated in North America in 2007?

You gardeners in that area fire up your hummer feeders now in preparation for that first arrival!

Here is a link to the map:

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Migration Map


Remember, The nectar for your feeders should NOT have any DYE of ANY color in it. It is best to use one part table sugar dissolved in four parts tap water. Be sure to hang up bright red strips of cloth or plastic near your feeders to attract the hummers. I planted 30 red Cannas, 6 red Glads, 6 red Verbena, and 6 red Salvia last year, not to mention all the red Zinnias that came up in my Zinnia patch. The results were INCREDIBLE! I had only gotten one hummer about two days each year, before last year. Last year, with all the red in my yard, I had 4 Hummers for the ENTIRE Summer!

So you can remember what last years arrivals were if you posted here are the old topics. Saves you all digging them out.

Last years hummingbird progress one!

Last years hummingbird progress part two!

Last year Mark saw our first one on the 24th of April, and I saw mine on the 26th! Glad we have these records because I'm not sure if I jotted it down in my gardening journal or not. I think I did.

I can't wait until the arrival of the Hummingbirds!! Last year I didn't see one in my yard until May 24th which is a whole month later then the migration map shows for my area. I too, am planting LOTS of red blooming plants this year.

Thanks Loz! I found Thorny's, Porter's and my post from last year, so unless I hear something different I will be putting my feeders out around the end of March.

I'll be watching this one closely

You're welcome Patti, I was curious as to when we all saw them last year so I figured I'd pull out those old topics.

April 24th seems like so far away for me to have to wait! Last year on my bd on the 11th of April I had a pair of Goldfinches in my window feeder, it was like a BD present to me!

Loz, I don't know exactly when I saw my first Hummer last year and not sure I even posted it. I thought it was around April 1st, but now realize I was wrong. I had that date in my head because that's when Thorny suggested putting the feeders out in this area.

Oh, Loz, that would be a great birthday present. but I might not have noticed them since the males don't have the bright color at this time of the year.

Awww, that's not good Patti.....I thought you'd posted the date in there but I just looked again and I didn't see it either.

So everyone out there, make sure when you see your first hummers in your area you post it here--and next year you'll know when they came.

I don't get many finches around here...I had a pair most of the year but seeing them on my BD for the first time of the year was a real treat.

That's a good idea, Loz! Sure wish I had thought about it last year. Of course, this year I will also note it in my gardening journal. At least, I have an idea about when to put my feeders out.

Loz, I get alot of finches here - house finches, purple finches, and the much loved Goldfinches. I've always loved them because they remind me of "Dickie Bird" the carnary I had when I was a child. I was so excited when we got him because that was a long time ago before anyone had any kind of pets in the house. :rolleyes: I thought it was really neat to have my own bird where I could see and hear him every day. He loved to sing and I loved to hear him. Actually, that's probably when I first fell in love with birds.

I have goldfinches at my feeders all year! Just the other day I had 6 of them on the thistle sock! I hope you get that great of a bday present again this year loz!

Looks like they're moving on up!

Hopefully I'll get them around the end of next month just like we did last year! Earlier is always better though.

I cant wait to see the Hummingbirds again.....soon!!!

My Hummers arrived back home this morning at 7:20 AM!!!

I want mine!

I have a month left til mine get here.

Really.....thats so cool Bill...still a few weeks before they arrive here too!!!

As of today, they've reached about as far north as a line through the Dallas, TX, Jackson, MS, Montgomery, AL line, and appear to be moving northwards at about 50 to 100 miles a week. At this rate, it will be mid-April for me in Nashville, TN.

Now that IS good news!

They're moving up into Georgia now!

Tennessee next.

Hummers in Tennesse and North Carolina! Getting closer to me now!

Oh MAH! They SHo' be movin' alot faster this year. I'll get my feeders out tomorrow!

I know, maybe they'll be here early---I sure hope so!

Did you know?
Hummers beat their wings 50 times per second?
The nest is the size of a half dollar.
Even at rest its heart rate is 8 times faster tha a human.
Hummers don't migrate in flocks, the fly alone.
While resting they take 250 breaths per minute.
To survive, Hummers must drink almost twice their weight in nectar every day.
Oldest hummer on record is 14.


Now I am not smart like Bill and Thorn , about hummers, I just happen to have the Birds and Blooms book right here.. ha ha
I found it intresting.......
Gotcha.

Actually many beat their wings at 60 beats a second. When they migrate, they cross the Gulf of Mexico, non-stop, in less than 24 hours, often less than 12 hours. They are also the most vicious, aggressive birds in the world.

I have also seen a Hummingbird sitting on its nest, and the nest IS the size of a half dollar......or more like a golf ball cut in half. It is made out of moss and lichen held together and lined with spider web and is placed on the end of a branch, in the fork of that branch, often about ten feet above the ground.