. You kept the feeder clean and

You kept the feeder clean and filled with fresh nectar, you were rewarded with many visits from migrants, then the activity settled down to regular appearances by the resident birds. Perhaps in mid-May your hummingbirds disappear. Where did they all go? This didn't happen last year or did it?

I would say welcome to the nesting season. I have discussed rubythroats in particular, but similai principles probably apply to most ■ other species. Shortly after arriving, the females establish a nesting territory.

Ruby-throats prefer secluded

wetlands for nesting, if available,

and proximity to your feeder is

not an issue, in fact, females dc

not like to build nests in a male’s r feeding territory, and your feedei

is probably part of one. Visits to distant feeders take too much time away from the eggs.

When the chicks hatch, they need protein to grow, not sugar, so their mother spends most of her time catching small insects and spiders for them.

During this period, I personally still see a male or two at my feeders, but usually only at dusk. I have not found an explanation for the disappearance of males at feeders in late spring, but I suspect the large quantity of blooming wildflowers at this time is responsible.

After the chicks leave the nest, expect the number of hummers at your feeder to be double what it was before the disappearance. As summei progresses, there will be fewer natural hummingbird food sources available, feeders can have a real positive impact bn the number of birds that survive, so please keep them clear and fresh.

Keeping notes on your hummingbirds will aid in verifying for yourseli that this is a normal, annual process

Happy Birding!

Flint Hill bird watcher Jim Bywaters welcomes reader mail responses, suggestions, P.O. Box 8 Flint Hill, Va. 22627 or e-mail him ai jbbjr@rmaonline. net.