pull hummingbird feeders?

[goaliedad]

My wife and I are having a "discussion". She thinks we should stop feeding the hummers so they don't end up staying too long. I say they will figure it out, between tempature and shorter days. Help me out! I'm a man, but I can do better if I try......

 

[Jim_Fisher]

GoalieDad,

My wife and I are having a "discussion". She thinks we should stop feeding the hummers so they don't end up staying too long. I say they will figure it out, between tempature and shorter days. Help me out! I'm a man, but I can do better if I try......

I've got to take your side in the "discussion".

We've been feeding them for at least twenty-five years. They have never forgotten to fly south nor have they been shy about hovering outside the kitchen window in the spring to "remind" me to put the feeders out.

In my area, they ordinarily arrive in late April and leave in early September.

 

[homeinwestIL]

What I've read is that the concern about hummers being lured into staying too long by feeders is an old wive's tale (no offense to your spouse), and that the birds passing through on migration need the extra energy as much or more than the resident birds. I'm leaving mine up and I think they've been busier in the last week than all summer. I presume that's due to migrants coming through.

 

[dullpain]

Had feeders for 15 years now. Leave em up till they are gone. They will not be tempted to stay. Around here they usually leave somtime in the first 2 weeks of October. They need to stock up on energy before migrating, and you will have some new visitors in the last few weeks before they are all gone so make sure you have plenty of fresh nectar for them all.

 

[meadowlarkponds]

We heard the same thing...remove the feeders before winter. Since we are in the South, I decided one year to just leave them out year around...we get birds now all year, coming and going. Maybe it depends on location, but here there is no need to remove them before winter.

 

[midlf]

Our feeder instructions said to leave them out at least one week after we see the last one to make sure the transients have a place to feed.