Q: For the past month, we have had several hummingbirds using our feeder. It hangs in front of my office window, and I notice them all day long. Yesterday, there was only one. I assume they are leaving for migration. How long should I leave the feeder up? I don’t want to have them not migrate because the feeder is up.
A: This is a common question. You are more observant than most people, who don’t see any because they aren’t watching the feeder very often and they miss the birds that are still coming. You should assume there are still hummingbirds around even after a frost or freeze kills many flowers. Some birds just don’t seem to want to fly south, while others are well on their way. There are also hummingbirds farther north from your location that will be very happy to find your feeder on their way south. There is no reason why you can’t leave the feeder up until all the flowers in your area are done blooming. Leaving your feeder up will not prevent any hummingbirds from migrating.
