Year round resident in Sebastian

[floridagardener]

I have a female Rubythroat that appears to be here year round now. First year I saw what I believe is the same bird, was 2 years ago. She came in November and stayed until April. Second year she came in October and stayed until June. This year she hasn't left.

I do know that sometimes several birds of the same gender can appear to be the same bird and may not be at all. But I am giving this little darling the benefit of the doubt. I think she is here year round because of the habit in my yard.

[Steve Backes]

Floridagardener,

Do any hummingbirds remain year round in Florida? A very interesting question.

The belief is that the birds that summer here migrate south while birds from north of here take their place in the winter. We like to think that because it sits on the same perch and does the same things, it must be the same bird. But, in reality, for the most part, the bird is doing what birds do. The perch was originally chosen for a reason (like the ability to view the whole territory) and any bird will realize that advantage and chose it as well.

To some degree, I believe we can tell that the same bird is returning from a previous year when it seem to know things like where you hang feeders. In the case of the female Rufous who wintered in my yard for 7 consecutive winters, I believe she recognized me. She seemed to come to me when she first arrived each year and would sit on the side of the yard where I sat. I knew it was her because we'd banded her in her second year.

We don't really know much regarding individual behaviors without banding. For the most part, that's the only way we can really be sure of the identity of an individual.

A number of years ago we banded two of the birds that I'd been counting in my yard, both young male Ruby-throateds, with one gorget feather grown in and another with a small grouping of feather on one side of its throat. They were both marked with pink stripes on their heads. The next day, throughout the day, I saw both birds, sometimes with a pink stripe and other times without. I discovered that I had more than one bird that had the exact same patterns of gorget feathers. Without the banding, and color-marking, I'd have continued to assume that there were only two birds.

Steve

[floridagardener]

Would a bird's habits signify the same bird? It is always a female here in my yard. I rarely see males. She always appears to have the same or similiar routine when feeding from the blooms in my yard. I guess banding is the only way to know for sure. How do I get a hummer banded?

Thanks for the reply to my initial post, Steve!

~Becky~

[Steve Backes]

Becky,

The similar habits can indicate the same bird or it could be that it's just doing what a hummingbird does. I won't say it can't be the same bird but banding would be the only way to be sure.

I may be able to set up something the next time a bander comes down to band other birds. Keep me up to date on the status of this bird. We'd love to be able to answer this question with facts.

Steve

[floridagardener]

Thanks, Steve! I would love to have this little female banded.

She (or however many female hummers there are) seem to be here year round now. I see her just about every day if I am looking for her. She feeds from plants and pretty much ignores my feeder.

[floridagardener]

BTW - I managed to get some video of a hummer I had 2 years ago. You might enjoy this video: www.youtube.com/user/MINATURE2#p/u/6/lyKrsl_AKDU

There are other videos I posted on YouTube, but this one was funny because it involved a frog, too!

[floridagardener]

Spotted a male ruby-throat hummer sitting on the phone line above the blooms and feeder. It later perched nearby in a tree to watch the feeder area. Have not seen the femaile hummer for several days now. Usually she would be very territorial and would be chasing off any other hummers. Perhaps she has migrated?

[floridagardener]

I may be wrong about the absent female RT hummer. I believe I saw her this morning guarding her territory from the migratory hummers.

[floridagardener]

I finally had to put the feeders out as the flower blooms have decreased. Feeders have been up for two weeks now. The Lady Hummer has been visiting every day, off and on from early morning till just before sunset.

I saw another hummer (both hummers together) in my Cape Honeysuckle tree one morning. They were chasing each other around and around the tree. Very comical. I think my female RT finally chased the other hummer off as I haven't seen it since. My female is not willing to share her food source with any other hummers. I know that is typical of most hummers. It was also the very first time I have heard the squeaking of a hummer as they were chasing each other around the tree!

[floridagardener]

The two female rubythroat hummingbirds have been here all year. I saw a male today fighting with the female who has claimed the southeast corner of my backyard garden. Neither was backing down. The male managed to get to the feeder several times and also the plant blooms, but eventually left. I am sure he was a migrating bird.

I saw the female in the front garden around noon. The female in the backyard was perching at her usual spot when I saw the bird in the front. Both are females that I've seen all this year. I think they are year round residents here near my yard. They have each claimed their territory in different parts of my yard. I have only 2 feeders up. I should probably expand the number of feeders to allow more birds to claim parts of my yard. :-)

[floridagardener]

Hi to all you hummingbird fans!

I added a 3rd feeder in the other corner of my backyard and a hummer found it already. Not sure if it is a new hummer or one of the two that guards their territories in my yard. But I was outside checking the area and the hummer headed right for the feeder and some of my blooming plants. It hovered above me for a few seconds and zipped away! So all 3 feeders are being used. It didn't take this hummer long to find the newly added feeder. I'm a firm believer that if you plant it or add it, they will come! :-)

And good news!!!! ...

I received an email reply from the master bander and she is going to try to stop by my home in January/February to try to band my birds. This is something that I have been hoping for, to determine if my birds are year round residents or migratory ruby-throated hummers. I've believed they are residents for the past two years! It will be exciting to find out if my hunch is correct or I am seeing a lot of different migrating birds year round!

AND there IS current research going on concerning this by Hummingbird Research, Inc.:

www.hummingbirdresearch.net/p66.html

Quoted from their website...

"Overwintering Ruby-throated Hummingbirds

A new emphasis for Hummingbird Research, Inc. is Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. The numbers of wintering Ruby-throated in the Southeast have been increasing to the point that they are now one of the most common winter hummingbirds. We have started a project to determine whether these birds are migrating into the Southeast in the fall from more northern locations, or whether a population of nonmigratory, resident Ruby-throated Hummingbirds may be evolving. Even though many Ruby-throated have been recaptured for consecutive winters in a number of states in the Southeast, no one has ever recaptured one of them during the summer months."

I am thrilled to see this particular research going on! I do believe my two hummers are resident, nonmigratory ruby-throated hummers. So if you have been seeing hummers year round ... this research may determine if our birds are actually permanent residents! I can't wait to find out the answer to this question! :-)

~Becky~

[hummagine]

Becky,

Hi! Has the bander been to your house yet or do you know when she'll be coming? I'm just a bit north of you in Barefoot Bay & would love to have her stop by here too! We've got at least 3, but think it may be as many as 5, different hummers using our 3 feeders regularly now, so we have quite a bit of traffic!

Please let me know. Thanks!

Karen

[Steve Backes]

Karen,

E-mail or call Doreen Cubie to see if she can add your yard to her schedule. You can find her contact information here:
www.doreencubie.com/contact.html

Steve

[moboston]

Is Doreen coming this way. I was told she was only going south along the coast to Stuart and wouldn't be coming west this time. Sure would like for her to catch my male Rufous.

[scfl47]

year round resident in Sebastian....where are you in Sebastian?

[floridagardener]

Karen - I am so sorry! I hadn't been here in a while. Glad that Steve gave you Doreen's contact info! Thanks, Steve!

Doreen did in fact come out yesterday to try to catch and band some of my hummingbirds. We were able to catch 2 of the 3 we saw. Both were adult female ruby-throated hummers and had not been banded before. It was quite a thrill to say the least. I was allowed to release the birds after Doreen checked them and banded them. She laid them in my hand and they sat there for a few seconds until they flew away! It was so amazing to see them up close and personal and to have them in my hand!

They also took their sweet time being caught! It took about 2 hours to catch them both and evening was approaching. Doreen didn't make it to my home until later in the day (3 pm), so I was glad that we were able to catch 2 of them. The one territorial female in the backyard is the one I believe may be a non-migratory year round resident. I seem to have birds all year except for a few week in early June. I had thought that perhaps my female was nesting and raising young at that time, but she may in fact have migrated and another female bird came in to replace her. It's her perching habits that have me thinking she is a year round resident to my yard. The banding will hopefully determine if that is true or not. Fingers crossed that we shall find out. Though, unfortunately, Doreen will not be able to make it back down here this summer to catch any early summer birds to see what is going on with my birds. So ... maybe in 2012!

She did mention that someone in Barefoot Bay had contacted her about their hummers. I suspect that may have been you. Doreen is only in Florida for a few short weeks in January, so her time is limited here. Perhaps if she couldn't get to your home this year, she will next year! She banded as far south as Stuart this year. Maybe next year she will be further south in our area for a little longer.

moboston - Doreen didn't say anything to me about going west in Florida to band birds, so perhaps Fred is banding the west coast hummers?

scfl47 - I live in Sebastian Highlands a few blocks from San Sebastian Springs community. Do you have hummers coming to your yard? Do you have feeders up?

[floridagardener]

BTW - I don't know how to post photos on this website, but I did post some photos of the banding and birds we caught yesterday on this site: www.network54.com/Forum/439743/thread/1296260566/last-1296312942/What+a+thrill+!!!

[moboston]

Fred did band here on the 16th. Caught my returning female rufous but the male wouldn't cooperate. I was just hoping that if Doreen could make it through our area she might be able to catch him. Seems like the Rufous weren't cooperating for Fred in several of the yards here.

[hummagine]

Hi All!

Yes Becky, I'm the one in Barefoot Bay that Doreen mentioned. I'd sent her an email on the 27th & was so surprised to see her reply the next day saying she was going to be in Sebastian that afternoon! When I called her, she said she was already running late, (on her way to you) so she didn't think there would be time to stop here. She did say though, that she was going to be in FL for a few more days & might be able to get down here again before moving on. She called me yesterday & she's going to come on Tuesday!!! I am so thrilled!

We've been having a lot of activity & I hope the birds cooperate so that several will get banded. I also hope that she can confirm that what I think is a Black Chinned, really is one.

I was lucky enough to briefly hold a Ruby the other week - it somehow managed to get it's beak caught in the screening of my screen room! It was providence (though I actually believe it was God) that I went out there when I did, as there are days when I don't go out there at all. It took several seconds before I realized what I was hearing & seeing! The bird was flapping it's wings trying to dislodge itself & it didn't seem tired, so I don't think it had been stuck for very long. Once I got around to the outside & put my hand around the bird, it seemed to calm down. At first I just tried pushing the screening away & gently pull it by it's body to free it, but then I had to get my fingers around the head & beak & pull the beak from the screening.

How the bird got it's beak all the way into just one little screen hole just seems amazing, but I think that it might have been trying to check out a couple of grape tomatoes on a plant it saw inside the screen room. This was on that really windy day we had & I think the wind might have actually pushed the bird.

Anyway, all was right in the end. Once I had freed the bird I thought it might be tired & just sit in my hand a bit, so I was heading toward a feeder a few steps away. As I was walking I opened my hand & it just flew away with no problem! All of this happened so quickly & as I was so concerned about the bird's well being, I didn't even think to try to get a good look at the bird, but I believe it was a female ruby.

Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to hold a bird again, when Doreen is down here. This time it'll be under better circumstances! I'll also let you all know how it goes on Tuesday.

[floridagardener]

hummagine - How awesome that Doreen is going to make a trip to your home! I wish you good luck in catching and banding most or all of your birds! Do let us know how it went! It was a lot of fun and very educational to watch!

I will be very interested to hear if you do in fact have a Black-chinned hummer.

What a remarkable story about your stuck in the screen little ruby-throated hummer. It certainly would've perished if you hadn't found it right away. I've heard they will go to just about anything red. Who would've guessed they'd be curious about red tomatoes! Sheesh!

I look forward to hearing about Doreen's visit! Hope you catch and band them all! :-)

[hummagine]

Doreen came by mid to late morning, yesterday. Unfortunately the warm weather, wind & bees weren't the best conditions but she did capture & band a female ruby who I believe is the returnee from last year! We call her Tiny Dancer.

We had taken down her usual feeder as the number of bees swarming it yesterday was just unreal & set up the metal cage at another feeder several feet away. When the bird first arrived, she went to her place in the orange tree & then went to where her feeder should be. She hovered for a bit looking for it & she even went right over to the chain that holds it & I swear she touched it! She then flew over to where I sometimes have a feeder on my sliding glass door, but we had moved that a few feet away & that was the one we put in the cage. She did check the cage out, but declined to enter it.

She then flew over to my south side yard where I have another feeder, but that one had the netting/cage & though she checked it out, she was confused on how to get in it, especially since it was blowing in the wind. She then flew a few feet to my neighbor's side yard & checked out some kind of red thing he has on his golf cart. By this point I was feeling so sorry for the bird, thinking she was getting desperate!

She then flew back into my backyard & went over to the back of the yard where I had just hung up a new feeder in the morning. However this one also had the netting on it & the wind had blown it off center. After that, she finally came back to the feeder in the cage & entered it.

She was very docile while in the little net bag Doreen put her in to bring her over to the table & she never struggled while being examined & banded. Doreen even brought her over to the feeder we had taken down & put on the ground, to see if she would drink from it & she took quite a few sips. Then Doreen asked me if I wanted to release her & while she was placing her in my hand, I could feel her heart beating. Then she just flew away!

It was truly a wonderful & exciting event!

BTW, she weighed 3.7 grams

[floridagardener]

I am so glad that Doreen made it to your home to band your female ruby-throated hummer! It is truly a remarkable experience.

I am sorry to hear about all the wasps. I occasionally see wasps at mine too, but I also spray to kill the wasps. I don't use pesticides for anything else but the wasps. I try to garden organically and chemical free. I've been stung so many times just gardening, so I don't like them nesting in my yard. They also eat my baby butterfly caterpillars, so I hunt the wasps down and try to destroy their nest. Doreen had made a comment to me that she was surprised I didn't have wasps at my feeder. She said the other homes she visited did. I know with the warmer weather, they are out and about looking for nectar along with the hummers.

Did Doreen just band your one bird or did she get others too? I had 3 hummers, but we were only able to catch 2. Both of mine were females, but the other bird I believe to be a male ruby-throated.

Those little birds are the sweetest thing! :-) Congrats on your banding adventure!