Hummingbirds - later and later

[Thirtieschild]

We live on a humminbird migration route. Between 2002 and 2008 they arrived en masse in early July. (En masse = 100 at a time eating at our feeders. We got the number by counting # of birds in photographs.) In 2009 they arrived in late July, in 2010 in mid-August, this year late August. What is going on? I would guess global warming, perhaps they stay longer in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest????????? Any ideas?

[TwilightGardener]

1. My hummingbirds arrived the first week of May, and haven't left yet--

I'm north of you, but not by much. Perhaps they're just not stopping very long in your area?

[Jamastiene]

2. There are actually some hummingbirds that winter over

but that is down here in the southeast. In NC, there is a project that is studying why the hummingbirds are staying later and later and why some stay all winter.

At least for some species, their migration patterns are definitely changing.

I have lots of hummingbirds living in the little forest behind my house. Unfortunately, only one gets to eat at my feeder. There is one hummingbird that stands on a wisteria vine and dances and preens and does all sorts of entertaining stuff in between trips to the feeder, but she also runs every other hummingbird away from the feeder, including one that comes up to the window and looks at me. I wish she was the more dominant one, because she interacts. She does get a sip from time to time despite that other hummingbird's attempts to run her off.

[TheWraith]

3. Here in the northeast, we've noticed ours staying a bit later. nt

[fasttense]

4. All migratory bird patterns are changing.

As the weather changes the birds must adopt or parish. It's all caused by global warming.

What I find most annoying is that the bugs come, then the birds come. It never use to be that way. When the bugs arrived the birds were here to eat them up or were soon right behind them. Now, it will be weeks before the birds come to gobble up the pesky bugs. In the meantime, the bugs go crazy eating everything in sight.

It seems that for the past 5 years it's been a different bug that goes wild until the birds catch up.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Ours are finally here, they come in early August, "usually"

but it was so hot for so long. They arrived about 2 weeks ago.

What is really weird is that our white Natchez crepe myrtles bloom around June, for about 6 weeks, then the pink ones bloom till end of August, after the white ones are done blooming.
Except, BOTH varieties are in full bloom now.

Apparently, because we had no rain for so long, the white ones never bloomed out, until after a few days of rain in mid July. Which is when the pink ones also bloomed.
Then we got a lot of rain and the shrubs just keep blooming.
Never thought I would see spring blooms in Sept.

[XemaSab]

6. Early July is a little too early for their fall migration

Maybe you're seeing hatch year birds?