GET SET: The hummingbirds should be back any day now so let’s
get ready.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission tells us that hummingbirds
begin to trickle out of their wintering grounds in Central and
South America in April and fly nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico.
From there, they flit through the South working their way north to
their nesting grounds.

They begin to show up in Pennsylvania in late April or early
May; Pennsylvania’s time-honored standard arrival date is May
1.

How to attract hummers to your yard? First and most importantly
– set the table. In other words, hang that feeder!

“To be honest, hummingbirds really don’t care whether feeders
are made of glass or plastic, or whether they’re filled with a
store-bought nectar mixture, or a homemade recipe,” said Doug
Gross, commission ornithologist.

“What matters is that the bird can find the feeder, and that it
has fresh nectar within its reservoir. A hummingbird will drink
nectar from a milk glass, a soda can, or a tin pan if they can find
it.”

As long as the feeder is noticeable, filled with relatively
fresh nectar or sugar water, and hummingbirds have returned from
their wintering grounds, you’re likely to attract hummers.

Hummingbirds prefer edge and shrubby habitat for foraging and
nesting. In addition to nectar, they consume flying insects,
particularly gnats. Females on nest duty often strike flying
insects as they pass and occasionally pirate insects tangled in
spider webs.

If hummingbirds routinely use your feeder in May, they’ll likely
build a nest nearby. Females – the dull-colored ones – primarily
build their half-dollar-sized nests with plant fibers and spider
webs, and with twigs or branches of deciduous trees.

The two white, pea-sized eggs laid in the nest hatch after about
two weeks of incubation.

Male hummingbirds are extremely territorial; they guard feeders
from lookout posts and chase one another away with the ferocity of
maddened hornets.

Consequently, it’s never a good idea to place hummingbird
feeders near windows, particularly picture windows.

Gross said, “The hummingbird’s scrappiness is legendary, but
their ‘no quarter,’ lightning-quick pursuit of intruders can send
these feathery hotheads rushing 20 to 30 miles per hour into a
window, a battle they never win. Sometimes they fly toward windows
because they see and decide to attack their mirrored image. Other
times, they’re fleeing pursuit and slam into a reflected skyline
with no give.”