Don't worry about your hummingbird feeder "tricking" hummers to stay too long. Hummingbirds migrate south because of changes in the amount of daylight, dimming skies signaling the coming of winter. As days grow short again the amazing southern migration starts - a journey that will take hummingbirds thousands of miles. Many hummingbird plants are in full bloom throughout the southern migration, and these natural nectar resources are crucial for the migrant flyers. Keeping your hummingbird feeders full and regularly maintained in the autumn will give more opportunities and a rich feeding ground for hummers to build up much needed energy for their southern migration. Regular "pit stops" along their route are healthy and beneficial, especially to young flyers!
How long to keep your feeder out depends on where you are on the map. Southern migration unfortunately is not nearly as well documented as the spring migration north, and there are no definitive "bookends" to hummingbird migration. Just when you think you've seen the last hummer of the year, a week later one will whiz by. Although the timeline for the southern migration is broad, there are typical months hummingbirds fly through.
If you live in Canada and New England the Ruby Throat hummingbird southern migration has likely already gone by. Male adults start in mid-July heading down the coast, and females and juveniles follow a few short weeks after. Hummers will fly along the eastern coast of the U.S. over the next months, pausing to "fill their tanks" with energy rich nectar. By the end of September most hummingbirds will have made their trip, but keep your feeders out a couple weeks longer to make sure stragglers have food too. When freezing weather comes make sure you store your feeders inside to keep them from cracking.
Hummingbirds will take a longer route to Mexico during their southern migration and travel down the eastern coastline of Texas. This is possibly due to the hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico, and if you've seen the threat of Hurricane Gustav who could blame them??? It's been said "The South will rise again", and when it comes to hummingbird populations during the southern migration this is certainly the case!
Some familiar faces and a few new ones may pass your way. Hummingbirds have spectacular memories and their migration routes reflect their knowledge of nectar locations. You may see more hummingbirds in the autumn than you did in the spring because of fledged juveniles making the trip for the first time. Successful nesting grows the hummingbird population, and keeping your feeders out throughout the southern migration helps young birds deal with the stress and demands of flying south.
The Southwest has many hummingbird species that live in the area year round rather than migrating North. If you live in the Southwest, like Arizona and southern California, keep your feeders out even during winter! Just like the Blue Hair migration in these areas, hummingbirds will stick out the winter months near golf course lined deserts. Ah, the life of leisure!
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