Re: [cobirds] Hummingbird Feeder Question

Thank you so much for all your responses. I posted the information on our local NextDoor site, and people are leaving their feeders up as suggested.

Deborahann Smith-Cleveland

North Boulder.

On Fri, Oct 6, 2017 at 8:13 AM, Doug Ward <dougward@frontier.com> wrote:

Debrahann,

 

I had a similar quandary several years ago in North Idaho where we'd accidentally left a feeder out well into October.  Didn't remember we'd left this particular feeder up (out of sight, out of mind) until we had an Anna's show up in the yard.  I'd been of the understanding that leaving feeders up didn't affect the birds migratory behavior, but felt the need to reach out to some hummingbird experts I know as we were expecting a very cold stretch, and they confirmed this position.  Now that Anna's have moved into our area up there, we actually keep at least one feeder up all Winter, with a heater, as we've had them in every month of the year now.  Interestingly, unless it gets pretty cold, they actually don't come in often as they seem to forage primarily on insects, even when it's near zero out.

 

So, I wouldn't worry about leaving your feeder up, and as Scott pointed out, you may end up with an oddball.

 

Good Birding,

Doug

Denver…& Coeur d'Alene, ID

 

PS – There are some fascinating articles out there about how hummingbird's metabolism changes with the seasons and locations, particularly the Calypte hummers, such that their bodies need different nutrients to cope with the different climates during the year.

 

From: cobirds@googlegroups.com [mailto:cobirds@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Deborahann S-C
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2017 3:36 PM
To: Colorado Birds
Subject: [cobirds] Hummingbird Feeder Question

 

There has been a question on my local Next Door website about whether hummingbird feeders should be left out at this point or brought in. Opponents say take them down, which encourages hummingbirds to stay rather than migrating. Curious to know the opinion of folks on this forum.

 

Thanks,

 

Deborahann Smith-Cleveland

North Boulder  

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