A week or so ago I posted that it was time to start collecting the bits and pieces of my hummingbird feeders and get them ready for the season. They were usually here around the first part of May, so the time was getting close. And they had already been spotted in Maine.
Well, it would seem they have now been spotted a few times in Nova Scotia.
There are a couple of different maps that follow the annual migration of the ruby throated hummingbirds to and from our area. They are based on actual sightings by people who report those sightings, which are then added to the map. I was wondering how close they were getting, so I checked the Hummingbird Central online map this morning. And it would seem they are here. At least some of them.
There have been sightings around Truro, one in Porter’s Lake and a couple up toward Cape Breton. And if those aren’t close enough, how about West Northfield. Last Friday. Just before those thunderstorms came through.
It always amazes me that those little tiny birds manage to fly from the Gulf of Mexico to here and back on an annual basis. They seem so tiny. You can almost make the mistake of thinking they are delicate little things. Until you see them fighting and slamming into each other with blows that would make a professional wrestler want to step away from the ring. Just because they are small in size, doesn’t mean they aren’t rather hardy.
But it’s still a long flight. And probably with very little food this time of year. Feeding from flowers is only a part of their diet with bugs and larvae making up quite a bit. But we haven’t been seeing a lot of bugs showing up yet this year either. Although I’m sure there are more than we tend to notice.
But the hummingbirds are back. Time for many of us to get those feeders out, to give them a bit of a snack after their long journey.
Although if they would prefer black flies, that would be fine with me. Even if they want to eat all of them.
