Can you imagine the instinct birds have to know the whens and wheres to migrate? In spring their migration destination is most often their starting point, the place they were born.
Hummingbird watch has begun. They set their internal GPS’s weeks ago from the southern regions where they migrated to in the fall. Instinct now signals the search for an abundance of nectar. There are homes to build, eggs to hatch and young ones to encourage to take flight. Their timely appearance here is a happy place for us, as it signals our happy place in an abundance of colourful flower blooms, will have returned.
If you are interested in following the migration of the hummingbirds click on the link below. You can expand the map to see a closer view of their progress. A few of the first arrivals, which are usually male, are presently just south of the Canadian / USA border.
Hummingbird Fun Facts
* Hummingbirds can fly backwards and forwards
* Their wings beat up to 50 times a second and even faster in extreme flight
* It takes about five to seven days for a hummingbird to build its nest.
* Built by females only, nests are made of lichen, moss, and spiderwebs.
* The eggs inside their tiny nest structure look like mini white jelly beans.
* Hummingbirds migrate alone
* Researchers Margaret Rubega and Alejandro Rico-Guevara discovered that hummingbirds feed via a piston like method. They lap up nectar with their tongues. The tiny forks at the tip spring open to gather fluid. Then the tongue retracts as the bill squeezes shut, compressing the tongue and allowing the bird to lap up the nectar. They repeat this high-speed lapping 15 to 20 times per second.
While we have your curiosity, click here for additional fun fact info on these flying beauties.
Visit Bird House Nature Company online or
in-store for feeders and nectar to welcome your yearly hummingbird visitors and support them as they birth the next generation.
We are here to support and guide you in selecting the right feeder and nectar for you and you visitors.