Rufous hummingbird will fly south

Summer is coming to an end and pretty soon the Rufous hummingbirds will follow their instinct and migrate south to Mexico and further.

Right now they're constantly feeding and fighting with the Anna's hummingbirds in order to put on extra weight for their long way south. They make this trip individually, not in the security of a flock, but may be stopping in some places along the way.

Most of the males have already left, but at our house we still see a lot of smaller females who may have been born later this summer. Once they're gone, we can think about taking our clippers out and trimming the blackberry bushes, although not before the robins have had their share of berries!

It is important not to do too much yard work during nesting time. Hummingbird nests are very small, easily overlooked and snipped off. The nests are made expandable, woven with spider webs, mosses and lichens, large enough for a few jelly-bean-sized eggs. When the birds grow the nest expands, but it's still small enough to be overlooked.

After tending to Anna's hummingbirds all winter long, we're also happy to see the Rufous again in the beginning of March, as this one, above.

Text and photo by Rosi Jansen