Actually i just wanted to show off my "one and only lucky pic so far" of this guy!.. I just set up all the feeders and i am going to photo shoot them tommorrow... not easy but fun..
another bird for all you bird fanciers..
- Thread starter Red Devil
- Start date
A hummingbird,didn't know that they lived in the northeast?....Liz do you have any hawks or other raptors in your area to photograph?
Love my some hummers, got 4 feeders and I usually have 3 or 4 fighting over the same feeder. A little like cichlids with wings.
yes lots of them.. next after i finish the hummers i plan on photo shooting white swans on the bay near me..... then i may go looking through the woods for the hawks and other raptors...krichardson;5163108; said:
They are awesome.. and if you knew the travels they have to do.. you would understand why they need to eat so much.. imagine these little guys crossing over the ocean... they are amazing..Longest Haulbbortko;5163112; said:
Rufous Hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) make the longest migration of any of the Trochilidae (Hummingbird Family) and, in proportion to size, one of the longest bird migrations.
It breeds as far north as Alaska and winters in Central America, a distance of ~2700 miles. This is is equivalent to 49,000,000 body lengths. This is the longest migration of any bird in terms of body length.
Non-stop Flights
Many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds travel more than 2,000 miles to go from Panama to their breeding destination in Canada. People wondered how the Ruby-throat could cross the Gulf of Mexico without stopping to refuel, a minimum trip of ~500 miles (the shortest distance across the Gulf).
To answer this question, R.C. Lasiewski conducted a study in 1962, The energetics of migrating hummingbirds (Condor 64:324). As a result of his experiments with hovering hummingbirds in metabolic chambers, Lasiewski concluded that a male Ruby-throated hummingbird, weighing about 4.5 g, of which 2 g was fat, could fly nonstop for 26 hours, consuming the fat at the rate of 0.69 calories per hour.
At an average speed of 25 mph per hour (40 km/hour), the bird's flying range would be about 606 miles (975 km) - easily enough to span the Gulf of Mexico.
In a more recent study, Calder and Jones (1989) using arrival and departure masses and rates of gain from Rufous Hummingbird banding data, determined that a 747 mile (1,202 km) flight of a Rufous appears to have been possible. At an airspeed of 43 km/h, the Rufous was able to travel 747 miles in 28 hours or two 373-mi (601 km) legs in 14-hour days apiece, depending on unknowns of tailwinds & successful refueling points.
Therefore, on its 2,700-mile journey from Mexico to Alaska, a Rufous Hummingbird will stop at least 4 times to refuel.
Refueling
Compared to other birds, the metabolic rates of hummingbirds are extremely high. For example, a 4-gram hummingbird has a basal metabolic rate of 1,400 calories per kilogram. Compare that to a 121 gram mourning dove which has a rate of 127 calories per kilogram.
According to Bill Calder, a University of Arizona hummingbird expert, it takes about a week for a migrating hummingbird to replace the protein and fat metabolized on a completed flight segment.
So for the Rufous that makes at least 4 refueling stops from Mexico to Alaska, their journey may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Refueling stops may even be longer than 2 weeks, depending on weather, headwinds, and nectar availability.
Nectar Corridors
The breeding season & initiation of hummingbird migration is closely tied to the flowering seasons of their major nectar sources. In temperate latitudes, this corresponds to the northern and southern springs when flowering plants begin to bloom.
The rigors of hummingbird migration coupled with high metabolic rates requires these tiny birds to refuel often when traveling to their breeding grounds. So when they stumble upon your feeder along the way, it's like they've landed at the all-you-can-eat buffet, for free! (unless there's aggressive competition).
In addition, nectar corridors, or migration routes abundant with flowering resources, are vital to hummingbird survival. Tens of thousands of hummingbirds migrate through these corridors on their way north & south to refuel.
Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation may affect hummingbirds nectar corridors due to loss of native flowering plants. The Migratory Pollinators Program explains this in more detail. SeeThreats and Conservation of Humming Bird Migration.
i wonder if this was a ruby throated hummingbird..? Just looked it up.. this is a pic of a Ruby throated hummer..
Definitely a ruby throated, unfortunately its the only type we get east of the Mississippi(possibly east of the Rockies, I can't recall). There are some amazing looking ones out west.