A hummingbird in my garden!
One of my goals with my cottage, Mermaid Manor, was to create a garden that was full of plants that “belonged” in our part of the country and required little water or care. The wonderful Gardening Company who planted my garden is Natural Beauty Gardening, Organic Plant Care. Call or email Crisit 912 224 5318 or nbgardening@hotmail.com She knew I wanted flowers and plants that would attract birds, bees and butterflies. I’ve seen lots of butterflies and bees, as well as a wide variety of birds. But today we had a brand new visitor. A hummingbird!!!! Now I’ve seen hummingbirds all over the world, two places especially- Costa Rica and Palm Springs, CA were locations where I’ve seen them by the dozens. But never in my own front yard! I was transfixed watching this little bird flutter around! Here are some fun facts I’ve since learned about the hummingbirds who spend time in Georgia.
Georgia Has Hummingbirds Year Round
Georgia is a great place to watch hummingbirds. Like the rest of the Southeast we have hummingbirds all year long. While we only have one specie that breeds here, we have had eleven other species that have been recorded in Georgia. Our resident breeder the Ruby-throated Hummingbird arrives in Georgia in early March and usually is last seen around mid-October. Prior to the Ruby-throats departure we start seeing the winter hummingbird species start to arrive. Most winter hummers show up at feeders in mid-November through December, but they could show up at anytime. These winter hummingbirds can stay into late March or early April. This past winter we had a record season for winter hummingbirds.
Georgia hosts a total of ten species of hummingbirds during the year: the ruby-throated hummingbird, black-chinned hummingbird, rufous hummingbird, calliope hummingbird, and magnificent hummingbird. Allen’s hummingbird, Anna’s hummingbird, broad-billed hummingbird, green violet-ear hummingbird and broad-tailed hummingbird.
The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only species of hummingbird known to nest to Georgia and weighs about as much as a first-class letter. The female builds the walnut-sized nest without any help from her mate. This process can take up to 12 days to complete. The female lays two eggs about the size of a black-eyed pea. In Georgia, female ruby- throated hummers produce up to two broods per year. Nests are typically built on a small branch that is parallel to or dips downward sometimes rebuilding the nest they used the previous year.
The calliope hummingbird is the smallest bird found in North America.
The rufous hummingbird has the longest migration of North American hummers-More than 3,000 miles.
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