So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye

The males have all left and Bon Bon Pond is down to one lone female hummer.   Each autumn, when my lovely flying jewels depart for their winter feeding grounds, I am sad.  It both amazes, and frightens, me to think of these fragile tiny creatures traveling so far. 

Two feeders will remain up well into October in case of stragglers—usually birds recovering from injury or illness.

Kudos to the kind people in the southern regions of the United States who put out thousands of nectar feeders to help prepare these hungry travelers for the most arduous part of their journey:  the 22 hour non-stop solo flights over the Gulf of Mexico’s 457 miles of water.  It’s a perilous flight and experts say, sadly,  that  ½ to ¾ of the first year ruby-throats do not survive their initial migration.¹⁰

Stay safe, my sweet darlings, and we will see you in the spring.

To read more about the amazing migration patterns of hummingbirds, visit:

http://www.nectarartprints.com/hummingbird-migration_rt.htm