One Last Look at Ruby-throated Hummingbird Migration

Since my last post was about wintering hummingbirds and the presence of a Rufous hummingbird in east Tennessee, I thought I would take the opportunity to show you some of the juvenile images I took of young hummingbirds as they were migrating through on a grey day in late September.

I say young, only because their behavior was not typical of mature birds.  For example, at any one time there might be two to three hummers perched in the holly on various branches, some exhibiting guarding behaviors, others clearly just trying for a turn at the feeder without too much harassment.  As I've watched hummingbirds guard feeders throughout the season, I noticed that mature birds seldom tolerate another hummingbird in their chosen perch area once the intruder is detected.  These little ones seemed oblivious and tentative.  And watching them at close range was delightful.

So this post is a photo essay, paying tribute to hummingbirds and showing some of my favorite images from a morning with a very young appearing group of hummers.  Of course, hummingbirds are beautiful anyway and easy to fall in love with.  The garden and patio have seemed far too quiet without all that wing-buzzing and chirping going on.

Next post, I'll show you how I remedied all that quiet!

Links and resources:

Learn more about how bird banding helps us learn about hummingbirds.  

Visit the Hummingbird Study Group to learn more about hummingbird species.

Contacts for reporting sightings of hummingbirds during winter months in the east: Bob and Martha Sargent, Rubythroat@aol.com or 205-681-2888

Posts about Ruby-throated hummingbirds on this blog.