Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been abundant at the park
this week. They can be seen darting from
the flowers and feeders around the lodge pool as they try to fatten up before
continuing their migration to Mexico
and Central America . Most of the birds that we are seeing around
the park are not ones that nested here, but more likely ones that nested
further north and are stopping over at the park to refuel for their migration
south.
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| A Ruby-throated Hummingbird refuels at a feeder |
Ruby-throated hummingbirds weigh about the same as a penny
and can double their weight in preparation for migration. Males tend to migrate first and the females
and young from this year follow shortly after.
You can keep your hummingbird feeders up through October or until the
threat of freeze, and that way you can feed any stragglers headed south. Keeping your feeders out longer will not
prevent the birds from migrating, their migration is triggered by shortening
day length not food availability.
Over the next week or two we should see a dramatic decrease
in the number of hummingbirds in Kentucky as
more and more make the perilous journey across the Gulf of
Mexico to their wintering grounds. After spending a few months at their wintering grounds, the birds prepare to migrate again and usually return to Kentucky in April.
