This is Frank. He’s my feeder-bully Ruby Throated Hummingbird. Frank has held the top spot in my yard in feeder dominance since early August. Don’t let his youth or handsomeness fool you. This bird is a brawler and basically owns all three of the feeders on my property, defending what’s his against all foes.
Even though it’s the second week of October he’s still here in central North Carolina, feeding and chasing away rivals at his sugar bars daily.
Going to miss him a bit when he’s gone!

Now that autumn as arrived, I’m often asked the question of “when should I take down my Hummingbird feeders?” Usually this is posed out of the concern that leaving your feeder out “too long” would tempt the birds into not migrating south for the winter.

The truth is that there’s no need for concern that the birds would delay their migration and get caught by winter.
The reason why is because it’s not the lack of food that tells a hummingbird when to go south. It’s the bird’s internal biological calendar, or circannual rhythms.
In fact, most Hummingbirds species start migrating while food is still plentiful. This strategy ensures that they will always have a good source available along every step of the way on their journey south.

So, my advice is to leave your feeders up as long as hummingbirds are visiting them. Once you’ve noticed that they are gone, leave it up an additional week, just in case a straggler comes through.

Since Frank is still hanging around here in Fuquay Varina, I’m leaving my feeders up in the near future. 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko
Canon 5Ds