Wintering Hummingbirds Fairing Well Through Snow and Cold

Seeing a hummingbird drinking from a feeder with a layer of snow on the surface is not exactly what we've been accustomed to expecting in Tennessee, but we could be seeing this more frequently as more hummingbirds migrate to the east and remain in our state for a portion of the winter.       
Photo credit:  Wally Manspeaker

We generally think of hummingbirds as fragile to cold and as migrating to warmer climates in Mexico or Central America, where they can find nectar-producing flowers and insects.  In actuality, the migration patterns and the reason for these varied patterns are not clearly understood, except that they follow food sources.  Some species, such as the Allen's and Anna's on the west coast, show a northward movement in winter and not all members of the species follow the same migration routes.

Mark Armstrong, our hummingbird Master Bander in east Tennessee, reports that the Rufous hummingbirds that he captures and bands in Tennessee in the winter are healthy birds with a good supply of fat, many of them molting and replacing their molted feathers with healthy new ones.  Molting and feather replacement during the winter months is an indicator that the hummingbirds are getting the nutrients they need for healthy feather production.

Photo credit:  Wally Manspeaker

Wally Manspeaker lives in northeast Tennessee, in Russellville, an area of the state that is reporting many wintering hummingbirds. Tennessee's winter hummingbirds seem to be migrating through areas of higher elevation near mountain ridges and plateaus. The female Rufous Hummingbird, above, was banded by Armstrong on November 25th and has been in the area since early November.

Wally Manspeaker has been visited by wintering hummingbirds in the past.  In 2011, he had the fifth recorded Allen's Hummingbird  in Tennessee, and when the same male returned the next November as a mature bird, it became the second Allen's to return in successive years.   The article above appeared in the November 2013 issue of Birds and Blooms Extra magazine.  Wally is still hoping the male Allen's will return in the next few weeks.  In the meantime, he has a lovely female Rufous to observe.

Photo credit:  Billie Cantwell

Though northeast Tennessee seems to be a popular location, hummers are showing up throughout the state. The pretty male Rufous above is spending his third winter in west Knoxville at the home of Billie Cantwell and Colin Leonard.  Billie is president of the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society and the organizer of KTOS's annual Wonder of Hummingbirds Festival.

Photo credit:  Billie Cantwell

Above and below, you see the same Rufous male as a juvenile who first arrived for the winter in December of 2011.

If you think people become attached to their summer hummingbirds, imagine being host to a wintering individual that returns each year, or if you are one of the lucky ones to have successive visitors, the excitement of wondering what wintering species will visit your home next!  Biologists believe that as generations of hummingbirds migrate in an easterly direction, the clumping of wintering birds will change, and wintering hummingbirds will spread out into broader territories.

Imagine being as comfortable seeing a hummingbird during winter months as we are seeing  a White-throated Sparrow or a Hermit Thrush.

Photo credit:  Kathy Sellars   A probable female Rufous in northwest Tennessee, in Dyersburg, that arrived around the first of November.

And here is a treat for you from my artist friend, Elva Paulson, in Oregon, who enjoys investigating and sketching nature. She clearly is also an excellent photographer!  Her curiousity led her to a willow grove where she settled into a spot to photograph and sketch the wildlife that visited sapsucker wells drilled in the willow bark.

Photo credit:  Dale and Elva Paulson    

She caught these beautiful images, above and below, of female Rufous hummingbirds visiting sapsucker wells drilled in the willows.  On this occasion, she encountered at least three hummingbirds visiting the sap wells, though they were intolerant of each other's presence, and chased each other.  Hummers are as aggressive about protecting sap sources as they are flower nectar.

Photo credit:  Dale and Elva Paulson

In the Birds of North America's Online account of the Rufous Hummingbird's feeding habits, the Rufous species is said to feed on sap and insects attracted to sap from wells excavated by Red-naped Sapsuckers. The Rufous species breeds in the northwestestern states up into Canada, including Oregon. In the spring, when arrival on breeding grounds precedes the blooming of flowers, the Rufous feeds on sap wells released from the bark of willows and alders.

Though observations of wintering hummingbirds foraging in the southeast are still rare, this feeding behavior also makes sense in Tennessee, as wintering Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers arrive, excavating sap wells that also provide a nectar source for wintering hummingbirds.

Visit Elva's Field Notes--Look Who Came to Dinner to read the story of her encounter with hummingbirds in the willows and see her beautiful field sketches.  She also describes another earlier encounter in Sweet and Sour Dinner:  More About Sapsuckers.

Links and Resources:

Western Hummingbirds Wintering in Tennessee
Allen's Hummingbird in Tennessee
Rufous Hummer in Knoxville 
In recent years, fourteen species of hummingbirds have been documented in the east during fall and winter months.  In east Tennessee, report sightings to Mark Armstrong at Woodthrush@bellsouth.net or 865-748-2224.  For a list of contact information for other eastern areas, visit winter reporting on the Hummingbird Study Group website or report sightings to Bob and Martha Sargent, Rubythroat@aol.com or 205-681-2888.
Other blog posts on Wintering hummingbirds in Tennessee
Visit Bob Sargent's information on wintering hummingbirds
Bob Sargent describes the Rufous Hummingbird as very cold-hardy.
Sargent on wintering Calliopes and the Allen's Hummingbird
Hummingbird banding
Hummingbirds in watercolor
Hummingbird art on Vickie's Sketchbook blog
Cornell's All About Birds:  Rufous Hummingbirds

Western Hummingbirds Wintering in Tennessee

Western hummingbirds began arriving in Tennessee as early as August, but they are illusive and difficult for banders to capture that time of year while there are so many insects and flowers available for foraging. Autumn has settled in now, and presently Katherine Noblet, of Johnson City, TN (Carter County), has a possible Rufous female visiting her feeder.

Photo credit:  Katherine Noblet

The female could either be a female Rufous Hummingbird or a female Allen's Hummingbird.  Females in both species are indistinguishable in the field but have differences in their tail feathers that can be identified in the hand of a bander.  The Allen's female has more narrow outer tail feathers.

Katherine has had Rufous hummingbirds visit her home in the past, and while we wait for a positive ID on this bird, she is getting some gorgeous images.

Photo credit:  Katherine Noblet

Some individual females of both Rufous and Allen's species have partial gorgets, as shown above, and females of both species have green feathers on their backs!

Photo credit:  Katherine Noblet

A mature male Rufous, below, is currently wintering at the home of Tommy and Virginia Curtis in Smithville, TN (DeKalb County) in middle Tennessee.  This male has been present for two weeks.   The Curtis family had an over-wintering Rufous hummingbird in 2004-2005 that stayed for 108 days, from Nov 26-March13. In 2006 they had an immature Rufous present from Dec1-Dec11.  An immature Ruby-throated hummer was present at their feeder from Nov 10-16 in 2012, and the current wintering Rufous was first sighted October 30th. They will be adding a heat lamp to the feeder tomorrow to keep the nectar from freezing.

Photo credit:  Tommy and Virginia Curtis

And below, a Calliope Hummingbird, located in the Nashville area, arrived on October 27th. This is believed to be the same Calliope that appeared in 2012 and was present from October 12th until sometime in April of 2012.  At that time he was found to be a hatching year bird and Scott describes him as much more spectacular as an adult!  Visit this link to see his appearance last year:  Calliope

Photo credit:  Scott Somershoe

Calliopes are the smallest hummingbird normally found in the United States and the only hummer to have dark purple-red gorget feathers on a white background in a shape that resembles an inverted V.

Tommorrow morning (Nov 12th) a strong cold front is moving into middle Tennessee (Nashville and Smithville areas) bringing advisories for 20-30 mph winds, gusting up to 45, a mix of sleet, rain, snow, with night temperatures plummeting to 19° F .  That same front will be pushing east into northeastern Tennessee and the Johnson City area later in the day.

One wonders why these hummers are finding their way to Tennessee instead of the warmer climates of Mexico, their traditional winter home.  Despite the cold weather that is typical of Tennessee winters, each year brings more hummingbird sightings than the year before.

A special thank you to Katherine Noblet, Tommy and Virginia Curtis, and Scott Somershoe for the use of their images in this blog post.

Links and Resources:

Fourteen species of hummingbirds have been documented in the east during fall and winter months.  In east Tennessee, report sightings to Mark Armstrong at Woodthrush@bellsouth.net or 865-748-2224.  For a list of contact information for other eastern areas, visit winter reporting on the Hummingbird Study Group website or report sightings to Bob and Martha Sargent, Rubythroat@aol.com or 205-681-2888.
Wintering hummingbirds in Tennessee
Visit Bob Sargent's information on wintering hummingbirds
Bob Sargent describes the Rufous Hummingbird as very cold-hardy.
Sargent on wintering Calliopes and the Allen's Hummingbird
Hummingbirds in my watercolor gallery and hummingbird art on Vickie's Sketchbook blog.
Hummingbird banding

Hummingbird Migration--Leave a Winter Feeder Out!

Ruby-throated hummingbird migration through Tennessee is winding down.  Most people assume all hummers are gone.  It is true that the majority of migrating hummers are well south of Tennessee now, but there are some late individuals coming through.  

Last night I had two in the evening, one perched next to the pineapple sage, nectaring and resting, nectaring and resting, with no feeder visits.  The second was perched high on a limb and made a brief visit to the flowers before being chased away by the first bird.

This morning I also had two ruby-throats visiting the pineapple sage. Both of these birds also visited the feeders briefly and were seen between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m.  In the days previous, the hummers I have observed have only been nectaring the salvia, both the black and blue variety and the pineapple sage.  

I have had good luck with the pineapple sage I planted this spring and it is blooming profusely right now. The salvia family seems to love the cooler season and the hummingbirds love the salvia. Below, a hummer visiting the pineapple sage yesterday, Oct 12th.

Yesterday, I also went to a presentation given by Mark Armstrong, a Master Bander of hummingbirds and the person in our area to contact when we have a wintering hummingbird. Leaving a feeder out is a good thing to do if you live in the southeast. It is not that the hummingbirds that winter in our area need our feeders, but having a feeder out enables us to see them more readily and learn about these birds.

Above you see an immature Rufous Hummingbird that was captured and banded in January of 2011 in west Knoxville.  This hummingbird returned to the same area and was recaptured in December of 2012 as a healthy mature male.  Below, a slide presented by Mark in his presentation at Wild Birds Unlimited in Knoxville with historical information about wintering Rufous Hummingbirds in the southeast.

Bob Sargent has been banding Rufous hummingbirds in the east since the 1980's and his research suggests that a hardy strain of Rufous Hummingbirds is developing that is genetically programmed to winter in the southeast.

Mark explained that there are always hummingbirds that deviate from the expected migration route but the increase in Rufous hummingbirds doesn't fit with random events.  Hummers will travel to areas where the climate and food is beneficial to their survival and some are clearly drifting east and returning on a regular basis. Mark reported that all of the Rufous Hummingbirds he has banded are healthy, molting and growing new feathers, have a good level of fat, and clearly are fairing very well in the east Tennessee winter climate. These hummers depend on natural sources of nectar, insects, and tree sap to sustain their diet in the winter.

Allen's Hummingbird that wintered in Russellville, TN in 2011 and 2012. Photo credit: Billie Cantwell.

There are several species of hummingbirds that have been recorded in Tennessee in addition to the Rufous: Black-chinned Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird, Anna's Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, and Green Violetear. Unlike the Rufous, other hummingbirds are rare visitors and are not known to return for consecutive years. There are exceptions, such as the Allen's hummer that returned for a second season last year.  

There are many things that remain unknown about hummingbird migration.  Leaving a feeder out for wintering birds allows us to see the hummer and possibly band it so that biologists can learn more about hummingbird migration patterns, changes in these patterns, and about wintering species in the east.

If you live in the east and have a hummingbird visiting a feeder in your yard after November 15th report your observations. For information about who to contact if you have a wintering hummingbird, click this link.

Incubating female Allen's hummingbird sketched from a live webcam by Vickie Henderson.  The Allen's species breeds in coastal California and traditionally winters in northwest Mexico.

Links and Resources:

Mark Armstrong, Master Bander of hummingbirds and songbirds, Avian Curator at the Knoxville Zoo, and past president of the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society

Blog posts on hummers wintering in Tennessee:
Allen's Hummingbird in east Russellville, TN
Calliope Hummingbird wintering in Nashville, TN
Rufous Hummingbird and Rufous Hummer in Knoxville
Migration Surprises
Hummingbird Study Group

Western Hummer Species Have Reached Tennessee

This beautiful male Allen's hummingbird is currently in east Tennessee!  

Photo credit:  Billie Cantwell, Knoxville, TN

On November 19th of 2011, Mark Armstrong, Knoxville, TN master bander, banded an immature male Allen's hummingbird in east Tennessee, in Russellville.  That hummer has migrated back to the same area as the beautiful mature male you see in the images above and below.  Reported by his hosts, he was captured again and released on September 23rd, 2012, confirming that he is the same individual that was present last year and in good health.      

This information can only be confirmed through banding research.  As researcher and co-founder of the Hummingbird Study Group, Bob Sargent, states:  The only way to preserve all species of birds for future generations is to know what they require for survival.  The best way to accomplish this is to learn as much about them as possible. Banding is one of the tools in that effort."  

Photo credit:  Billie Cantwell, Knoxville, TN.  Above you see the green head and back of the male Allen's hummingbird.  The bird is held by master bander, Mark Armstrong, of Knoxville, TN while being examined before release.

Allen's Hummingbirds breed in coastal California and their traditional wintering grounds are in northwestern Mexico.  Prior to 1991, an Allen's had never been documented in the five eastern states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee or Mississippi, according to Sargent, and the first documented case occurred in Alabama in 1991. The first recorded Allen's in TN was banded by Bob and Martha Sargent in the Chattanooga area in 1993.  Since that time, eastern residents have been encouraged to leave at least one feeder out after November 15th.  It is now known that these western migrants, the most common of which is the Rufous Hummingbird, can arrive as early as July and August, though they are more difficult to identify midst a steady influx of migrating ruby-throats. 

Photo credit:  Wally Manspeaker, Russellville, TN.  Above and below, the beautiful mature Allen's hummingbird currently visiting east Tennessee feeders at a home near Russellville, TN.

Wintering western hummingbirds do not rely on human-provided nectar sources, but find their own sources of nectar and protein in nature.  The primary reason people are encouraged to leave feeders out in the winter is so we can better document these birds and learn about their survival habits.

Photo credit:  Wally Manspeaker, Russellville, TN

The following report was provided to the Tennessee List-serve on November 19th, 2011 by Mark Armstrong:

"On November 19 I banded a young male Allen's hummingbird at a home near Russellville, Hamblen Co. [TN]....It has been a banner year for wintering hummingbirds this year.  In the eastern TN area I cover I have banded 5 Rufous hummingbirds, the Allen's, a late Ruby-throat and I had a return Rufous that I banded last year.  The Rufous that I've banded have been in Johnson City, south Knoxville, and 3 in Tellico Village, Loudon Co....I'm not the only one seeing a lot of hummingbirds.  Other banders [in] the eastern US are getting record numbers of Rufous as well as Calliope, Broad-tailed, Allen's and Anna's.  If anyone has thought about leaving a feeder out this would be the year to try it."

Clearly, 2012 promises to be a busy year also!

Photo credit:  Billie Cantwell.  Above, Mark Armstrong, in Russellville, TN.  Beside him is the trap apparatus that is used to capture hummingbirds for banding.  The trap door is closed via a connected line after the hummer enters to feed.

Not only do we have this Allen's Hummingbird present in the eastern portion of our state, we also have Rufous Hummingbirds currently being reported in upper east Tennessee and in the Chattanooga area.  These birds are often first identified as immature birds, but as in the case of this Allen's, they frequently return to the same areas while migrating and to the same wintering grounds year after year.

With each season that western breeding hummingbirds are documented in the eastern United States, we learn more about the nature of the species and their migration patterns.  If you live in the east, keep at least one feeder out during fall and winter and check the reference link below for information about who to contact to report a wintering hummingbird in your state.

Links and Resources:

Previous blog posts on western hummingbirds in the east:  wintering hummingbirds
More on hummingbird banding:  hummingbird banding
Sketches of an incubating Allen's Hummingbird

Who to contact if you have a wintering hummingbird
Hummingbird Study Group
Allen's Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Wintering hummingbirds in TN:  Second record of Allen's in TN, The Migrant 2001, The Migrant 1998:  five species of wintering hummingbirds

Next:  back to Alaska!