Hummingbirds are flocking to Lafayette, instead of flying south

DEAR JOAN » We have two hummingbird feeders and they are as active now as in the summer.

Last year, we had only a couple who visited this time of year and only had to change the nectar twice a week or less. This year we are still filling them daily. Are they not migrating this year? What’s up?

— Sue Derby,

Lafayette

DEAR SUE » Well, 2020 was definitely a strange year, but not strange enough to keep migrating hummingbirds from migrating.

I’m willing to bet that the majority of the hummers eagerly lapping up the nectar are Anna’s hummingbirds and they are year-round residents of the Bay Area.

All birds migrate to some extent, and most of the spring and summer hummingbirds visiting backyard feeders left long ago. However, the farthest the Anna’s hummers migrate is in the general vicinity. Apparently, they’ve taken a strong liking to your backyard and will continue to visit unless you shut down the restaurant or they find another supply of food more to their liking.

Hummingbirds have the ability to remember every source of food they come across, but they can be easily lured to other locations, so while you’re up to your ears in hummingbirds, that might not always be the case.

To ensure they hang around, keep the food supply up and avoid doing anything that might deter them. You might also want to grow some plants that hummingbirds especially like and avoid using pesticides — hummers also eat a fair number of insects.

DEAR JOAN » My cat licks or bites plastic often. She will lick a plastic bag for several minutes or chew the plastic handle on a shopping bag. What does this mean and how can I stop this behavior?

— Sonya, Annapolis,

Maryland

DEAR SONYA » You’ll be happy to know there’s nothing unique in the behavior — lots of cats have a thing for plastic bags — and while it might be annoying to you, there’s nothing inherently dangerous to it as long as the cat doesn’t swallow any of the plastic.

As with most things about our lovable feline behaviors, no one is really sure why they do it. It could be a psychological thing where the cat is enamored by the texture of the bag. It might also represent a lack of certain mineral or vitamins in your cat’s diet.

It could be that the cat likes to hear the bags crinkle. It might sound like the breaking of tiny bones in an unfortunate mouse’s body.

Plastic bags also are made of different materials that might appeal to the cat, including corn starch or tallow, which is animal fat. A cat has a very sensitive nose and can pick up a lot of subtle odors that escape us.

To help your cat overcome its obsession, the easiest thing is to make sure the bags aren’t within reach. I know, half of the cat-possessing population just stopped in their tracks and gave me a look. Yes, I know there are few things that can be put out of cat’s reach, but we can try.

The next thing would be to try to find a substitute, such a new lickable, crinkling toy. If your cat still manages to get to the bags, spray them with a cat deterrent such as lemon or rosemary.