“I put multiple feeders out every year, but I have also planted bee balm, trumpet vines, honeysuckle and other assorted flowers to attract the hummingbirds and pollinators.”įlowers such as bee balm, honeysuckle and trumpet vine have bell-shaped or tubular flowers that appeal to hummingbirds. “I love all my spring migration birds, but it’s the hummingbirds I love the most.” said McKenna, a Jefferson County resident and radio host. Vicki McKenna is one Wisconsin birder eagerly awaiting the reappearance of her backyard friends. Right about now, many Midwesterners are keeping their peepers peeled for the spring return of hummingbirds, even tracking sightings online. RELATED: 10 amazing facts about ruby-throated hummingbirds “They are somewhat delicate to handle, given their small stature.” “Hummingbirds have an incredibly fast heart rate, which you can palpate while in your hand,” she said. In a single breeding season in Wisconsin during June, July and August, she can band up to 600 hummingbirds, sometimes 150 in a single day. She is formally trained as a master permitted hummingbird bander.
The project is dedicated to the research and understanding of hummingbirds in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula it is currently funded entirely by Bridge and her spouse, Peter.Īn active birder since 1990, Bridge describes herself as a scientist and naturalist at heart with a background in bird banding. In 2015, she began the nonprofit Western Great Lakes Hummingbird Project, a labor of love, according to Bridge. That usually occurs when I am wearing something red that they mistook for a nectar source,” she said.īridge, a Madison resident and part-time speech pathologist, volunteers for her hummingbird avocation. “I have also had the experience of feeling the air from their wings when they have approached so close to check something out about my person. “They are the most incredible to experience when they hover near your head in the garden, where you can hear the humming of their wings,” said Cynthia Bridge, one of only three hummingbird banders in Wisconsin and founder of the Western Great Lakes Hummingbird Project. That arresting sound of a nearby ruby-throated hummingbird comes from its wings that, almost unbelievably, move up to 75 times a second. The only thing better than seeing a hummingbird is hearing one.Įither way, it means you’re close enough to be thrilled by these tiny, yet sensational birds. Give them a helping hand during the Fall Migration by hanging extra feeders such as the Dr.Watch Video: A Hummingbird feeding her babies Use our submission form to post your sightings to our Hummingbird Migration Fall Map 2021 page! See our Hummingbird Fall Migration Map 2021 below! Here is a "Feeding Frenzy" recorded and contributed by Sam Ruffner in Cataula, Georgia during the Fall Migration. This is a good time to help by hanging extra feeders to provide much needed accommodations for their long journey. During the migration some of us will see a huge influx in the hummingbird population at their feeders.ĭuring the Fall Migration hummingbirds engage in a "Feeding Fury" to store energy as fat to power their way south. Hummingbirds travel from their Summer homes in North America to a warmer Winter climate escaping the harsh weather in the north. Some will spend the Winter along the western coast of North America. However, not all hummingbirds migrate each year. They tend to gather in some southern states because by chance they arrive at the same time. The migration usually starts in August in the far north and will vary according to the state or province you live in and the species of hummingbirds you will see. The Fall migration is a journey south back to Mexico and Central America and starts when the abundance of insects (their main food source) starts to dwindle with cold temps.
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