[ibis-macro] 2019 Hummingbird Food Consumption, My first indication of Global Warming
- From: Walter Katz <wkatz@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "walter. katz" <wkatz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2019 12:17:47 -0400 (EDT)
All,
This was a very unusual year for Hummingbirds (at least for consumption at
my bird feeders). End of May early June had record high consumption, then
they went away for the Month of June, recovered a bit in July, peaked to
near normal levels when they were stoking up to leave from Mexico, and then
lingered on for 8 days past their traditional leave date - first day the
consumption is <= 1 cup per day.
We had a very wet spring and summer this year leading to a larger than
normal amount of wild flowers. Two black bears arrived in June, most Lake of
the Pines homeowners had to remove their hummingbird feeders. I had to
remove the feeders in the back. As usual, the mid August peak was mostly
juveniles, as was the smaller than overage peak when they fledged in mid
July.
The hummingbirds require food all along their route to Mexico. If they leave
too late, frost along the way will make it impossible for them to make the
trip. The late departure of 10% of the hummingbirds suggest that those
hummingbirds that left late last year survived. If this trend continues, and
particularly if we have a late frost this year, it will be reflected in next
years graph.
Walter
Walter Katz
<mailto:wkatz@xxxxxxxxxx> wkatz@xxxxxxxxxx
Home 303.449-2308
Mobile 720.417-3762
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