Hummingbirds returning to Ohio
‘Hyperdrive’ birds will head back to tropical weather by October
After a long day, Stephanie Phillabaum likes to unwind by kicking back and watching birds in her backyard.
It is a hobby the Jackson Township resident picked up during last year’s pandemic lockdown. Phillabaum, who runs a preschool and child care center, said the stay-at-home orders had her in search of activities.
“I started noticing that we had quite a plethora of birds at the house and I thought, well, this is something I can do,” she said.
Phillabaum said she bought bird houses and feeders and her new pastime was born.
Among the bird species she pays close attention to are hummingbirds which make their return to Northeast Ohio in late April. There have been a few early sightings but most of these diminutive darlings arrive later in the month.
“They’re tiny,” Phillabaum said. “I mean they can get within a foot of your head before you even know they’re around.”
Ruby-throats return to Ohio
According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, there are about 340 species of hummingbirds and all live in South and North America. The hummingbird does not exist on any other continent.
They also do not live in Hawaii. The state is 2,000 miles too far from the U.S. mainland for tiny hummingbirds to reach, said bird expert Dr. Andy Jones, curator of ornithology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
The majority of hummingbirds prefer tropical climates, including Mexico, but about 12 to 17 species migrate into parts of the U.S. mainland and Canada during the spring and summer months to mate and reproduce. All, but one, species commonly nest in western states — including Alaska.
Jones said the only species that commonly nests east of the Mississippi River is the ruby-throated hummingbird. There are times that another species is spotted in Eastern states but those are rare occurrences, he said.
The reason ruby-throats come east while others stay away is not known.
But Jones said the male rubythroats arrive in Ohio and other Eastern states in late April to claim territory for mating purposes. The females follow the males in early May, build nests and incubate their eggs.
“The males are really sperm donors,” Jones said. “They mate and then they’re done.”
Jones said all ruby-throats will return to tropical weather by October.
“I think hummingbirds are really compelling because of their tiny size. The fact that we routinely confuse them with flying moths just reminds you how tiny they are,” he said.
Hummingbirds move in ‘hyperdrive’ speeds
The average ruby-throats are three inches or slightly longer with a fourinch wingspan, which makes them one of the smallest birds, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The adult male has a red throat and forked tail. The females and young have white spots on outer tail feathers.
The ruby-throats weight less than an ounce.
“It is a bird that is kind of hard to understand what their daily life is like because they’re moving in hyperdrive at all times,” Jones said.
According to the Smithsonian, the ruby-throat heart beats 225 times per minute when at rest to more than 1,200 times per minute at flight. Their wings beat 70 times per second in “direct flight” but increases to more than 200 times per second when it dives.
“They can fly backwards and they can fly upside down,” Jones said.
Michele Hamolia, a Munroe Falls resident, has a lifelong affinity for hummingbirds that her late grandmother instilled in her. She said her grandmother, who lived in Maryland, would feed them.
“I feel like they have a personality,” Hamolia said.
She and Jones said hummingbirds also have good memories and commonly return to the same feeding spots from previous years.
Peaceful activity
Hamolia and Phillabaum are two of more than 6,500 members in the Northeast Ohio Backyard Birds Group. The public forum invites bird watchers to share photos and have “good clean discussions” on birds.
“I’ve become a bird nerd,” Phillabaum said.
Like Phillabaum, Hamolia said watching birds, including hummingbirds, is a “peaceful” break from other life stresses.
“It was nice last summer with COVID to be able to be in your backyard and make your space something (birds) would be attracted to,” Hamolia said.
Jones said hummingbirds are attracted to seasonal resources — flowers and insects, for example — that the U.S. has to offer. The flowers with high nectar value have the most success in drawing them into your yard.
“But nectar is only part of their diet,” he said, adding insects provide protein.
Jones also said hummingbirds are attracted to vibrant colors, particularly red. He said the nectar area of most flowers is red and hummingbirds have evolved to recognize this color as a food source. That’s the reason most storebought feeders are red.
To make some sugar water for a feeder, Jones recommended boiling one cup of sugar with four cups of water on the stove, and mixing them. Then let it cool down and fill the feeder. Any extra solution can be saved in a refrigerator.
“You’re not suppose to put red coloring in it. It can harm them,” Hamolia said.
Jones agreed.
“It’s just not necessary,” he said. Lastly, if you start feeding hummingbirds make sure you clean the feeder every couple days and replace the sugar water.
“If it’s really hot, the stuff will go bad in just a few days,” Jones said.
Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-5808567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com
On Twitter @bduerrep