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Re: Hummingbird Super-stimulus Experiment 2003



At 08:30 AM 3/7/03 -0500, Harry Legrand wrote:
I just saw a personal comment from someone about this, and agree that
this is close to a hoax. I did check out the website to see if this is
some cruel hoax, and it seems to be legit!

As far as I know, hummingbirds migrate at night. If so, they presumably
fly a thousand or more feet above ground and would not see the fake
hummingbird feeder because of distance or darkness. The website mentions
that hummingbirds migrate by day at treetop height. That is news to me.

If anyone else has information about hummingbird migration (day versus
night, etc.), could you please enlighten us?

Harry LeGrand


I don't know how they choose to travel once they are acclimated to Land Ho!, but I have seen them arrive in mid afternoon from the Gulf, traveling about 15' above water level. Whether this is just the tired ones is not known. I may have missed any higher birds. Usually they continue to the first wooded/vegetated cover, presumably to find sustenance. In the Spring Rubythroats can be seen around flowers on barriers islands in increasing numbers as the day goes by. Changing numbers of individuals about flowers here lead one to presume that some move on after feeding or encountering heavy competition.


I have not gone to the tower kill studies, but as memory serves, hummers aren't heavy victims. I have seen them hover just over tree top level and fly about neighborhoods (along the coast). This seems to be the height one particular Rufous Hummingbird traveled from one feeder to another about one mile away, and another did the same to a somewhat closer feeder. I would think they are primarily day migrants, maybe both by day and night to some degree, although due to their energy requirements, I suspect day migrating is usual.

Jack Dozier
Alligator Pt., FL
jdozier@nettally.com