Now that hummingbird feeders are slowing down, people are sad and want to know what has happened to their birds. The situation with hummingbirds is not out of the ordinary. Their typical pattern in the Kansas City area is:
1) The males arrive first and seek out good food source that will be enticing to the ladies.
2) He defends the feeder vigorously against any other males.
3) The ladies arrive and he chases them about and "flirts" with them; hoping they will select him (and your area) for nesting.
4) The females go out and build the nest, lay eggs and raise the young (he does nothing but try to attract more females)
If the females do not find your yard suitable for nesting, they move on and eventually he has to move along too. Leaving you without hummingbirds for a couple of months.
Do not be discouraged. They will be back. Mark your calendars for the last week of July and make sure your hummingbird feeders are clean and have nectar in them. This is when the babies are fledgling and feeders are quite busy. August and September are our busiest months for hummers. During their absence, you can continue to keep your feeders fresh with nectar (changing it every couple of days) or you can clean it out and hang it out empty. That way if a bird does come by he just thinks this flower has no nectar versus a feeder with bad nectar in it.
Photo by Bruce Weekes
