Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and other Small Miracles
I’ve previously written about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, but I can’t help myself, they never cease to amaze me.
Over the past 10 years we’ve seen Ruby-throated Hummingbirds here in Long Lake as early as May 9th, and this year the first one showed up at our feeder on the 12th. In years where we are little slow getting the feeder up we hear them before we see them. They buzz by our porch like tiny rockets. A sound we recognize immediately.
Few birds are as fascinating to watch as the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Males fiercely defend favorite food sources and their mating rituals rival anything seen on an LA dance floor. It’s not clear how they meet, but when a female is interested she perches in a small tree and the male launches into a most unexpected display. He flies up, 20 feet above her, and then zooms down passing in front of her on a parabolic trajectory. At the top of the arc he turns on a dime and flies back to his starting point. Repeating this zooming flight over and over while making an audible buzzing sound. He will repeat this a dozen times or more until the female flies off, generally with her suitor close behind. I’m trying to figure out a way to film this with a remote control camera. If I get it I’ll post it here.
The animation shows the migration abundance of Ruby-throated hummingbirds. Starting in January, the birds move north to nesting grounds throughout the eastern United States. In September they start the return trip to Central America. The progression of colors shows the abundance through the seasons with the slider at right showing the month. This animation is from the eBird data download site.
In general, this is a prime season for small bird photography. The males are in full plumage and for a couple of weeks, before the leaves fill out, they are easy to see. Photos from this spring below.
