Late Hummingbirds
Keeping a hummingbird feeder out in late fall is like buying a lottery ticket. You probably won't win, but you just might hit the jackpot.
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Every June after the neighborhood hummingbirds have settled in for the summer, I bring my feeders in for several weeks while the birds are focused on insects and natural nectar. Hot weather makes the sugar water spoil within a day or two, and the main takers are wasps anyway. Sugar is not an environmentally friendly crop, so I don’t like to waste it.
I set out the feeders again the second or third week of July. This year, I’ve had a minimum of three Ruby-throated Hummingbirds visiting every single day from then through Saturday, September 16, and at least two on Sunday the 17th—the latest, by at least 10 days, that I’ve ever had more than a single straggler. On Monday, I spent more daylight hours at the doctor getting my broken finger into a cast than I did at home—that’s the first day since July that I didn’t notice a single hummingbird in my yard, but while I was babysitting that morning, I did spot one in my daughter’s yard. Tuesday, I saw at least one in my own yard again. Wednesday, September 20, was the first day since July that I went entirely hummingbirdless.
During years when I’m not able to pay attention to my feeders, this is the point at which I bring them all in. Sugar water ferments as well as serves as a medium for bacteria and fungus, so even during cool spells I like to change the water at the very least every three or four days. I’d been keeping five feeders out there but yesterday I brought in three of them. When I take in my fuchsias from the front porch before the first killing frost, I’ll add a hummingbird feeder on one of those hooks, too. The probability is low that a single hummingbird will visit, but that’s better than the zero probability if I don’t leave out any feeders.
At this point, just about every Ruby-throated Hummingbird really is gone from northern Minnesota. Over the years, I’ve had a single straggler Ruby-throat once the last week of September and once the first week of October. If a late one does pass by Peabody Street, I don’t want it to leave here hungry. But at this point, if a hummingbird does show up, it’s more likely to be a species not found in field guides to eastern North America.
The Rufous Hummingbird, which breeds in the Rocky Mountains all the way up to Alaska, is the most likely suspect when a late hummer appears. My yard happens to be where both of Minnesota’s December Rufous Hummingbird sightings took place. In 2004, one showed up on November 17 and stuck around until midmorning December 3 (the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union counts that one as Selasphorus sp.). The second one showed up down the block from me before Halloween in 2021. She showed up in my yard within minutes of my hearing about her and setting out a feeder on November 8, and came by many times a day until December 4, leaving in midafternoon just after winds shifted to the north, giving her a tail wind. (I wrote this ridiculously long FAQ about late hummingbirds here.)
But Rufous Hummingbirds are not the only outliers that show up in fall. Here in Minnesota, we’ve had four records of Anna’s Hummingbird in October, November, and December; one Costa’s Hummingbird seen from September to November; and one Calliope Hummingbird seen in a November and December. Mexican Violetears have turned up more than once in Wisconsin in late fall, as have Allen’s Hummingbird, Green-breasted Mango, and Broad-billed Hummingbird.
Leaving a feeder out late does not in any way, shape, or form lure these birds from their normal range—the only way they ever find out about a feeder is by noticing it when they’re already far out of their expected range. With food growing increasingly scarce as winter approaches, they may linger for days or weeks when they do find a feeder, but based on my experiences with the two late Rufous Hummingbirds, there are still a surprising number of insects out there. I watched mine darting at tiny bugs near the branch tips of my white spruce trees and flitting this way and that in our raspberries and dogwood. Whether or not you keep feeders available late in fall, the insects that native plants support are incredibly important for late hummingbirds, warblers, and other beloved birds.
If you happen to end up with an out-of-range rarity, it’s extremely valuable to report it. The single best way is via eBird.org. A bazillion birders may instantly show up in hopes of seeing it. If you don’t want that to happen, you can give just the general area rather than your home address. Your local eBird compiler may request that you share the location with a handful of birders for confirmation, which is very important for both maintaining accurate ornithological records and for many conservation purposes, but my own experience with having dozens of birders showing up in my yard has been very positive. Virtually everyone is so grateful that a homeowner is sharing such a cool thing that they honor every rule you set, from whether they can come into your yard or must stay outside the fence to where they should park.
Don’t count your hummingbirds before they show up, but when they do, sharing the wealth with the birding community usually compounds the joy.
I brought my H-bird feeder in 2 days ago, after seeing no activity for the previous 3 days. I live near Cambridge MN. That is almost exactly the date I have brought it in in the past. Thanks for keeping us up to date with your observations from Peabody St.!