Are You Killing the Hummingbirds?

Do you leave your hummingbird feeder up long after fall sits in?

If so, I once heard that this causes hummingbirds to stay around longer in colder regions. And therefore, keeping them from migrating to warmer climates. Which in turn, is causing them to stay by the feeder, endure the colder weather as long as they can, and eventually dieing.

Well, don't think twice about it. That is so not true.

Hummingbirds have an internal clock that will tell them when they need to start migrating to warmer climates. It's not whether or not we leave the feeders out.

In fact, I once read about how leaving a hummingbird feeder out late after fall begins may actually help the sick and young hummingbirds that either couldn't migrate and didn't realize they needed to for the first time. Since finding blooming flowers in the winter is hard, the feeders that we leave up may really be saving some hummingbirds' lives!

Photos by me, Lisa, please do not copy