Waiting For Hummingbirds

PHOTO: A female ruby-throated hummingbird visits a flower in New England, July 2020. Photo by Chris Bosak

by Chris Bosak
Weirs Times Columnist

Apparently, all I had to do to get my hummingbirds back this summer was complain to my neighbor.
I had had frequent visits from both male and female hummingbirds early in the spring. The daily visits continued for a few weeks and then stopped abruptly. Last year, and the year before that, the visits never stopped and I saw them daily until the fall.
This year, June was largely a hummingbird-free month in my backyard.
During a walk around the neighborhood last week, I noticed a neighbor had bird feeders on her deck so I stopped to chat about what birds she had been seeing. She had a few of the usual suspects but didn’t mention hummingbirds.
I inquired about the tiny birds and she said: “Yes. I see them every day.”
“That’s great,” I replied. “I haven’t seen mine in a while.”
I went on to bore her with the details of my previous years’ good fortune. She feigned interest, we chatted a little more and then said goodbye.
The birding gods must have heard me griping and took pity on me because, the very next day, a female hummingbird showed up at my feeder. She has been back every day since, too. It is very territorial as I have seen her chase away other hummingbirds.
In previous years, a female has dominated my feeders throughout the summer so I wonder if she is the same queen I have been seeing for years. At any rate, it is nice to see the hummingbirds back in the yard. It is also nice to know there are several of them, even if I get only brief glimpses of the other ones before they are chased away.
I have a few feeders and several flowers to lure the hummingbirds. She prefers the feeders, but on occasion will sip from the flowers. This year, most of my flowers are red salvia, an annual with tubular-shaped blooms. In the past, I’ve seen hummingbirds visit my coneflower and even sunflowers.
Complaining usually doesn’t solve problems and often makes them worse, but in this case, things worked out pretty well. I plan to take a trip to northern New England in a few weeks in the hopes of finding some of New England’s disappearing moose. Maybe I should proactively start complaining now in the hopes of getting the same results for that trip?

Chris Bosak may be reached at chrisbosak26@gmail.com or through his website www.birdsofnewengland.com