• My Hummingbird Season

Posted: **Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:24 am**

Here in central Illinois we're seeing more birds everyday. They are going through 3-4 qts. of food a week. Usually we see most activity around shrubs and perennials. Several plantings of red salvia, pentas and tall impatiens are really attracting them. It's not uncommon to see 2 or 3 birds on the impatiens, visiting each flower.

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Posted: **Tue Sep 22, 2020 3:22 pm**

A squadron appeared during a lull in the rain from Beta. This female ruby throat is perched on a crepe myrtle, guarding her feeder.

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Posted: **Tue Sep 22, 2020 4:24 pm**

A few days ago we had at least ten buzzing all over the place. Today I saw a lone female. The flight south must have begun. We will miss the crazy antics.

Posted: **Tue Sep 22, 2020 7:04 pm**

Yesterday I had 20-25 birds here. Today 4-6.

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Spooky I see the birds arrive and leave in squadrons too. They say that the birds fly individually and do not flock. I just don't believe that it's true during fall migration. They seem to be extremely social and arrive and depart in groups.

Posted: **Tue Sep 22, 2020 9:51 pm**

Looking nicely plump, too.

Posted: **Tue Sep 22, 2020 9:59 pm**

Growing Coastal wrote: ↑Tue Sep 22, 2020 9:51 pm Looking nicely plump, too.

Yes, you wonder how he got into the air.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2020 9:52 am**

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Finally got a photo of a male ruby throat. I had to take it through the kitchen window.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2020 5:16 pm**

Some beautiful photos of some beautiful birds, so great to see these wonderful creatures. Thanks for posting them folks.

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2020 7:39 pm**

It's the final days of my hummingbird season. There are only 4-5 of them here. I am grateful for every sighting I have because I know that it could be my last.

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Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2020 7:44 pm**

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Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:32 am**

I'm already thinking about trying new salvias this spring. I have got to get some of those blue salvias with the black calyxes. Your David Verity/Vermillionaire cuphea is beautiful.

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:02 am**

SpookyShoe wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:32 am I'm already thinking about trying new salvias this spring. I have got to get some of those blue salvias with the black calyxes. Your David Verity/Vermillionaire cuphea is beautiful.

The blue one this year is Black and Bloom. Black and Blue was not to be found this year. To tell you the truth, I think that I prefer Black and Blue and will be searching it out for next year.

I really enjoyed salvia 'Amanate' this year and so did the birds. The color is luscious and hard to find in the salvia world. This was new to me last year and will stay on the grow list indefinitely. If you can find this one, bring it home. It is pictured in the last photo.

Posted: **Mon Oct 04, 2021 9:26 am**

Hummingbirds galore passing through Southeast Texas on the fall 2021 migration.

Of course they like the feeders, but popular plants so far are white Cats' Whiskers, Mystic Spires
Blue salvia, Gold Star esperanza, pentas, ruellia (Mexican petunia) and Bells of Fire tecoma.

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Posted: **Mon Oct 04, 2021 12:10 pm**

Great pictures, Spooky. Took the feeders down this morning. It was a great year. We had many newly hatched birds mid July on. Curious about your Mexican petunia. Mine are in constant bloom but flowers are short lived on foot tall bushy plants. Do you have the old time lavender flowers or a newer cultivar? I've never seen a hummer on them. Will clean up a couple to winter over indoors. I've had these plants or cuttings for a good 20 years. Maybe a new cultivar in a different color would attract them. What do you think?

Posted: **Mon Oct 04, 2021 2:03 pm**

Very nice captures @SpookyShoe.

Migration is such a special time. You get to see so many birds at a given moment in time. I plan and start my pollinator garden so that it is at it's peak around Sept. 10 when migration begins here for me. All this work for this one event! The neighbors know that I am a little nuts.

I had a very long migration period that lasted 3 1/2 weeks. I still have 1-2 birds around. I am so glad that they are starting show up down there. Enjoy them while you can because as we all know, migration is over all too soon.

Posted: **Mon Oct 04, 2021 2:09 pm**

bjbebs,

I have the pink and lavender varieties. They are around 3 feet tall. There are also dwarf varieties which are low to the ground. Mine are invasive and I actually pull them out of the ground where they are not wanted.

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Posted: **Mon Oct 04, 2021 2:28 pm**

Yours look to be taller and not as full as those I grow. Mine are not a bit invasive and don't reseed easily. The pods, when ripe, can throw a seed quite a distance. This one is in a pot.Thanks for the pictures.

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Posted: **Mon Oct 04, 2021 2:52 pm**

MissS wrote: ↑Mon Oct 04, 2021 2:03 pm Very nice captures @SpookyShoe.

Migration is such a special time. You get to see so many birds at a given moment in time. I plan and start my pollinator garden so that it is at it's peak around Sept. 10 when migration begins here for me. All this work for this one event! The neighbors know that I am a little nuts.

I had a very long migration period that lasted 3 1/2 weeks. I still have 1-2 birds around. I am so glad that they are starting show up down there. Enjoy them while you can because as we all know, migration is over all too soon.

Every minute of all that work is worth it.

In my microclimate daffodils and tulips do not naturalize and are treated as annuals. I have to buy bulbs every year and refrigerate them for 8 weeks inside the kitchen refrigerator, much to the chagrin of my husband. When the bulbs that I plant finally bloom in the early spring they don't last for more than a few weeks. But well worth the effort.

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Posted: **Mon Oct 04, 2021 3:07 pm**

Two days ago, Oct 2, we had six hummers gorging themselves at the feeders. October 3 and 4, we have zero. It apparently was time to fly south for the year. All but one of the feeders are down for the year. One is still up in case of stragglers. Sad to see them go and we look forward to next year.

Posted: **Tue Oct 05, 2021 8:29 am**

East of the Mississippi we only have the Ruby-throated hummingbird. @Paulf what species do you have in your yard?

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