All the Southern Residents Have Returned

Female Ruby-throated




Male Ruby-throated

The lone male ruby-throated returned early in March. Then there were two males. Then there were 3 (or more) males. They were joined by a lone female. Then another. Then another. As of today, we think there are at least 8 ruby-throateds in the immediate vicinity. They dart about so quickly that it is difficult to get an accurate count. We've been feeding at least two male orchard orioles for a couple of weeks. Yesterday we saw the vivid orange and heard the distinct song of a male Baltimore oriole. This morning we saw two males. And there are assorted female orioles coming to the feeders. All the southern residents have returned so all is right with the world.
In addition to several small bottle feeders, we have 15 tubes of nectar strategically placed around the porch and studio and already the tubes are being emptied within 48 hours. Guess it's time to start buying sugar in the BIG bags. And we've already started on our second big jar of grape jelly for the orioles.

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor of speaking about the ruby-throated return migration on the local talk radio station. I actually had some listeners call in with questions!

This coming weekend is Artsfest on Walnut Street in Springfield. This is always a great show, and since it's only about an hour and a half from home, it's not a hard show to do. Come on by and see us!

Hummingbird fact for today: A hummingbird must eat nectar about every 15 minutes throughout the day.