Now that I’ve been seeing male ruby-throated hummingbirds again, I’m just waiting for the females. They usually arrive within one to two weeks after the males. These tiny birds bring me such joy! Two years ago I created what I call a hummingbird theme park. But many challenges have led me to fix it again and again, until now, I’ve finally perfected it and worked out all the kinks. I’ll write a post with directions soon. Until then, you can see it in action here, on my instagram.
I’ve written many times about hummingbirds, including how to pick hummingbird feeders, how to make your own nectar, why cleaning the feeder is so important, as well as some flowers that you can add to your yards to attract hummingbirds. I could write post after post about these fascinating birds.
But recently I was reading about hummingbird migration and learned two amazing facts– One, did you know rufous hummingbirds have the longest migration of any of the hummingbirds? These 3 inch birds travel a whopping 4000 miles twice each year, in the fall and spring, from Mexico to Alaska. What? I had no idea that a bird as tiny as a hummingbird could travel such a far distance! According to All About Birds, “that’s the equivalent of 78,470,000 body lengths. In comparison, the 13 inch long arctic tern’s one way flight of about 11,185miles is only 51,430,000 body lengths. ” The rufous hummingbird has between 52-62 wingbeats PER SECOND!! Hard to even imagine that is possible, right?
And secondly, did you know that ruby-throated hummingbirds (which is the hummingbird that we see here on the east coast all summer) travel 2000 kilometers (1242 miles) WITHOUT A BREAK? Can you imagine this tiny bird flying that far, and never even stopping? Again, What?! I had no idea. This is amazing considering that these birds weigh less than a marshmallow, at 0.1-0.2 ounces!
Again and again, Mother Nature amazes me! And you too I hope.
I hope you get to enjoy your hummingbirds again soon. Here’s to many hours of happy hummingbird watching!
Not having a car, I haven’t found a Ruby-throat feeding from a patch of wildflowers such as Jewelweed with my digital camera
(capable of 1/8000 sec. ShSp), but on April 7 I saw an adult Great Blue Heron sporting nuptial plumes doing its best by splaying its feet and raising its wings to remain upright on the slippery, thin ice while eyeing the fish beneath the ice. The ice began to melt, causing the heron to break through, so it had to once again flap its wings to prevent itself from sinking into the water and find firmer footing. One may think the adult bird would have dealt with this awkward scramble before, and fared better this time.
Hey Murray, I’m sure you’ll see a hummingbird in the near future! They’re on their way. Cool story about the great blue heron. These birds have to face so many challenges, and how maddening for the bird not to be able to get the fish it was seeing through the ice! I was ice skating once on clear ice on a river and saw a muskrat beneath me, moving fast through the water in the same direction as me. It was wild to see through the ice! …thanks for writing. Hope you find a spot of beauty in your day.
How do they know that they don’t stop to eat or rest?
Great question! Sounds like with high-tech transmitters: “During the seasonal migrations from 2010 to 2014, the University of Southern Mississippi researchers behind the Auk study captured 2,729 individual hummingbirds as they migrated through southern Alabama. The scientists tracked the birds’ habits and measured their flight, then analyzed mass and wingspan and used a computer program to predict flight range.”
https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/guess-how-far-a-hummingbird-can-fly-stopping-nope-its-farther.htm