Wood Thrush Notes

Hummingbird Activity to Increase Soon

In the next couple of weeks we should all begin to see more hummingbird activity at our feeders.  I’ve seen considerably more just in the past few days.  Hummingbird feeders will be significantly more important to our Ruby-throated hummingbirds in the coming weeks and months as they conclude nesting and begin feeding heavily in preparation for fall migration.  Most of us do not see a lot of hummingbird activity until mid-July as females are fully involved with nesting responsibilities and the males are guarding their territory and food sources.  Hummer feeders are just not that important to them during this time as nectar from flowers and the insects they consume are readily available.  People often mistakenly think hummingbirds NEED our feeders.  They don’t, but will take advantage of them when the time is right and the feeder and nectar are in good condition.  Making sure your feeders are clean and nectar is fresh is always important but especially now when temperatures are high and as birds begin to use them more. 

  Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (RTH), like many migrant birds, go through hyperphagia prior to migration, meaning they eat almost continuously. They ramp up their consumption of nectar from plants and sugar water from feeders while consuming large quantities of tiny insects that are full of fats and proteins. The sugar is used up almost instantly during daily activities but the protein from insects helps strengthen their flight muscles. All the energy-rich yellow fat accumulates in little storage pockets which are visible when the feathers are gently pushed aside, like when a licensed bander has one in hand.

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Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

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Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

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Hummingbird fat pockets

An adult male RTH will weigh approximately 3 grams during summer but put on as much as 2.5 grams of weight by the time it is ready to head south.  They will nearly double their weight during hyperphagia.

So, if you haven’t been paying attention to your feeders because of lack of activity make sure your feeders are clean and you have fresh nectar. August and September are THE busiest hummingbird feeding months here in Middle TN so be prepared. 

The proper nectar formula is 4 parts water to 1 part sugar.  Do not use brown, or raw sugar, and never use honey.  Regular white table sugar is best.  If you are making a small amount, like a cup, boiling the water is unnecessary.  Thoroughly stir the sugar until it is completely dissolved and the water is clear.  To make larger quantities it makes sense to heat the water enough to completely dissolve the sugar.

Wood Thrush Notes

It’s mid-April, and you are outside soaking in one of the nicest days of the young year. You bend over to pick up a stick that was blown down in the previous night's thunderstorm, and as you stand back up there it is. The whirring buzz, the flash of iridescence, and the unmistakable chattering call that signifies the first hummingbird of the year. You race inside, mix up a gallon or two of nectar, put out all your feeders, and sit back and watch. And wait. And wait…

During May, June, and the first half of July the only thing we hear as often as “they are eating me out of house and home!” is “where are the hummingbirds?”. They are already here, however, they did not travel thousands of miles just to sip sugar water. The hummingbirds come all this way to breed and raise their young. While you may see a few birds hitting your feeder early on, these birds do not rely on our feeders, and may continue on as far north as Canada!

However, now is the time to start getting your feeders ready as we enter the middle of July. Make sure your nectar is fresh and your feeders are clean, and remember, in this heat the nectar will spoil in as few as two to three days. Aside from being unsanitary, the hummingbirds will not stop at a feeder if the nectar has gone rancid. August and September are invariably the busiest months of the year for hummingbird feeding due to northern birds migrating south, and the birds that nested here fattening up for their long migration back to Central America. So, if you have been wondering where your hummingbirds are, you aren’t alone, but fear not. You haven’t missed out. The best feeder activity is yet to come!

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If you have driven down Belle Meade Blvd. this year, you may have noticed a number of bluebird boxes in the median area. The city of Belle Meade approached us about the possibility of installing the boxes to help bluebirds nest, and they have been a resounding success. To date, close to 40 juvenile bluebirds have left our boxes. This is an excellent case in point that the eastern bluebird is very adaptive and not necessarily up to date with the current literature about what they “require”. In addition to the Blvd. Boxes, we set up a box in the service alley behind the store and within a couple weeks, a nest with three eggs was inside. So far, in spite of the heat and the lackluster location, the juvenile birds are healthy and just a few days away from fledging. Though it is getting late in the season, there is still time to attract bluebirds as they will nest up to three times in a season, so make sure that your boxes are clean and ready to become a home!

While many of our most familiar backyard birds are near the end, or have already concluded, their breeding season, the American Goldfinch is just beginning. Many of you have already seen a reduction in goldfinch numbers at your feeders as they begin to move away from feeders toward nesting areas. Goldfinches typically nest in June and July when certain nest materials, and more of their food sources, become available.

The goldfinch’s main natural habitats are weedy fields and floodplains, where plants such as thistles and asters are common. So, if you live close to one of these types of areas you may continue to see good numbers of goldfinches at your feeders. If you live in a more forested area you will likely see far less goldfinches until they finish nesting. So, don’t be concerned that something has happened to “your” goldfinches or you’ve done something wrong. They are simply transitioning into their nesting phase and will return to feeders in due time.

Female Goldfinch gathering nest material

The male and female locate a suitable nest site together. Nests are often near water. At Hidden Lakes Park on McCrory Ln, which borders the Harpeth River, goldfinch nests are common to see.

The male may bring nest materials but the female builds the nest, usually in a shrub or sapling in a fairly open setting rather than in forest interior. The nest is often built high in a shrub, where two or three vertical branches join; usually shaded by clusters of leaves from above, but often open and visible from below.

The nest is an open cup of rootlets and plant fibers lined with plant down, woven so tightly that it can hold water. The female bonds the foundation to supporting branches using spider silk, and makes a downy lining often using the fluffy “pappus” material taken from the same types of seedheads that goldfinches feed on. It takes the female about 6 days to build the nest. The finished nest is about 3 inches across on the outside and 2-4.5 inches high.

The female incubates about 95% of the time and takes 10-12 days. The male brings food to the female while she incubates. The young leave the nest after 11-17 days. Both sexes tend to the young and are fed a regurgitated milky seed pulp. Insects are rarely part of their diet.

Goldfinches are monogamous per year but commonly change mates between years.