The Hummingbirds have started their trek north and the males will arrive first, around the end of April. The females usually make an appearance by Mothers’ Day. I have attached a map to show the migration of these garden jewels and if you would like to see a bigger version here is the link to the map. You can visit this daily to see the movement of them and know exactly when they will be in your backyard. The Rufous hummingbird makes one of the longest migratory journeys of any hummingbird in the world. During spring migration it travels almost 4,000 miles from Mexico to Alaska. This is amazing for a bird that weighs less than two pennies. It takes hummingbirds 18-24 hours to travel across the Gulf of Mexico, and once they set out over the Gulf there is no stopping as there is no place to rest. Wow! Here are some tips to attract hummers to your backyard. If you have a patio table in your yard cover it with a red tablecloth (this is like a beacon in the sky to them), have your feeders up by the middle of April and start them at flower height. Next a source of moving water helps to attract them as they hear water rather than see it. This can be done easily by adding a dripper to your birdbath or a water wiggler. Providing the right flowers in your backyard is key and I would suggest visiting your local garden center and ask for native flowers that you can plant to attract hummers. Once you have attracted them to your yard they will return year after year as they have very good memories and know where there are good food sources.

“>