They’re back! Get out your nectar!

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 05 May 2011 10:54

There’re back.

Reports of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been flowing in, in the past week.

Joan Cullman of Redding, who sent along the picture, had her first on Thursday, April 28. Jon Elkow of Ridgefield also had an April 28 sighting.

“Were they late arriving this year?” Joan asks. “In past years, I’ve had them as early as March 28th. So far, I’ve had two females and one male.”

I would be very surprised to see a hummer in March. Typically, first sightings reported to this column have been the end of April. Last year, for instance, the first report was exactly the same as Joan’s and Jon’s — April 28, from Bebe McCarthy of Ridgefield.

A number of people have told us over the years that they have spotted hummingbirds hovering around places where feeders had been the previous year, but were not in place yet this season.

Bill Barrett of Ridgefield had that experience this year. “Humingbirds have returned here,” Bill wrote on May 1. “One ruby and at least two females. It’s quite amazing; he hovered in the exact three-dimensional space where the feeder was the last two years — so, I suggest this means he’s not a rookie, but was here last year at the least. He was absolutely definitive — he knew exactly where that feeder had been to within a couple of inches. Quite amazing.”

Semper paratus, Bill adds: “We put the feeders out right after Tax Time, April 15th, every year.”

The feat Bill speaks of is made all the more amazing when you realize those birds have traveled from 1,500 to more than 3,000 miles to reach that “exact three-dimensional space.”

Consider this: Most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds winter in Central and South America and must cross the Gulf of Mexico just to reach the States. This miniature creature, wings moving at 80 beats per second, zips non-stop across 1,000 miles of open sea at up to 40 miles per hour, twice a year. No doubt, each returns to the same spot in its winter grounds, too. All this without maps, GPS, or anyone to ask for advice.

Even more amazing is its metabolism. If you weighed 170 pounds and lived like a hummingbird, you’d burn 150,000 calories a day and produce 100 pounds of sweat. And if you ran out of water, your skin temperature would surpass the melting point of lead and you’d probably catch fire.

Since I am often asked about hummingbird food, I will pass along this recommendation: Don’t waste your money on special hummingbird mixes or nectars. Many commercial products use red dye — mostly as a sales gimmick. A red feeder, often with yellow around its openings, is all that is needed to attract hummingbirds; red fluid is unnecessary.

To make your own effective, inexpensive nectar, mix a quarter cup of white sugar with a cup of water. (Do not use brown sugar, honey or other sweeteners.)

Many people recommend boiling the water from public supplies to reduce the amount of chlorine — not a problem if you’re on a well.

Change the nectar every few days; in hot weather, even sooner. Potentially harmful bacteria can grow in the solution if left to “ferment” in the heat.

Coming up

Birding By Ear, indoor and outdoor workshop on bird sounds, Saturday, May 7, 9:30 to noon, $12 adults, children free, Greenwich Audubon, 613 Riversville Road, RSVP 203-869-5272 x230, greenwich.audubon.org

Doodletown and Mine Road Birding in Rockland County, with Saw Mill River Audubon, Saturday, May 7, depart 6 a.m. Call 914-666-6503 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to register and for information on the meeting location.

Spring Bird Walk, with naturalist Frank Gallo, Sunday, May 8, 7:30 a.m., free, Weir Preserve, Nod Hill Road, Wilton; call 203-834-5066 for parking info.

Field Trip to Garrett Mountain, N.J. with Bedford Audubon Naturalist Tait Johansson, Tuesday, May 10, depart 35 Todd Road, Katonah at 6:45 a.m. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , (914) 232-4806, www.bedfordaudubon.org

Bird-friendly Window and Building Design, talk with Dr. Chris Sheppard of American Bird Conservancy, Wednesday, May 11, 7:30 p.m., $10, Audubon Greenwich, 203-869-5272 x239 to reserve.

Bird Tours, with Connecticut Audubon, Mount Auburn, Cambridge, Mass. May 13-15; Martha’s Vineyard, May 26-29; Connecticut Lakes, N.H., June 2 to 5; Iceland, June; Nova Scotia, July; California, September; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 860-767-0660.

“First Sundays,” bird walks open to all ages and skills, at Greenwich Point, with Meredith Sampson, first Sunday of the month, through May, 9 a.m. sponsored by Wild Wings, Inc., Bruce Museum and Audubon Greenwich, 203-637-9822.

Copyright 2011 by Jack Sanders. Send sightings or comments to: jackfsanders [at sign] yahoo.com, or to Bird Notes, Box 1019, Ridgefield, CT 06877; or call 203-438-1183, extension BIRD (2473), and leave a message with your report, spelling your first and last names and telling us your town. If you need help identifying a bird, try your local nature center. If you find an injured bird, call wildlife rehabilitator Darlene Wimbrow of Redding, 203-438-0618, Wildlife in Crisis of Weston, 203-544-9913, or Wild Wings of Greenwich, 203-637-9822. The columnist’s website is www. sandersbooks. com.