birdnote q&a: hummingbird migration

First off, Ellen wants to share—and dispel–a charming hummingbird myth: that hummingbirds hitchhike on the backs of larger birds during migration. “Not true,” she says, “but it’s an amusing image, isn’t it?” (Artist Jennifer Pope let us publish a depiction, below, of what such a collaboration might look like.) More on that tale and other hummingbird-migration myths in the BirdNote archive.)

IN THE Q&A that follows, Ellen’s answers contain green links to audio files from BirdNote’s archive that you won’t want to miss. A recap of earlier stories in our series is at the bottom of the page, along with information on how to get BirdNote daily.

Q. What’s going on with hummingbirds this time of year? I have so many at this time each year in my Northeastern garden (all ruby-throateds, I think, though none at the moment have the red throat marking of males like some did earlier on).

A. You’re correct: Right now, some parts of the country have even more hummingbirds than usual, with some summer visitors still hanging around and migrants, on their way south, just showing up as they pass through.

Most of the rufous hummingbirds of the West (like the one in the top photo) are heading southward. In fact, many of the males left as early as July or early August. Females and juveniles leave a little later. Although they follow a “floral highway” in both directions, their fall