Photo by Bryan Stevens • A ruby-throated hummingbird visits a sugar water feeder.

Jane Arnold, a resident of Bristol, Tennessee, emailed me to ask a question about hummingbird numbers this spring.

In her email, Jane wrote, “My mom (Betty Poole of Bristol, Virginia) asked me to email you and ask if you have received any emails from fellow hummer enthusiasts about the number of hummers they are seeing this year.”

Jane went on to explain that her aunt, Alyce Pennington, Montcalm, West Virginia, and her cousin, Hal Pennington, Huntsville, Alabama, have also reported not seeing many of these tiny birds this spring. “When they arrived in April, they would see them off and on all day long,” Jane wrote. “But the last couple of weeks their presence has dropped off quite a bit.

In addition to Jane’s email, I also received a similar question in an email from Garland Depew of Bluff Hollow, Virginia.

“I’d like your opinion on my hummingbirds,” Garland wrote. “They always show up in mid April, and by this time (early June) I usually have a dozen or so fighting for the feeders. It’s been that way for years.”

Garland noted that this year he had about eight hummingbirds show up by late April. “Then all of a sudden in the middle of May they just vanished,” he added. “I have just one or two now.”

In the past Garland said that he had “literally a cloud of birds at the feeders” and that ’it’s hard to get an accurate count, but last year we had about 18 hummers, and similar numbers in the years before that.”

He noted that he has been using feeders to attract hummers for at least 10 years.

Garland also checked with a neighbor who lives about a quarter mile down the road from his home regarding the number of hummingbirds at their feeders. She informed him that she has seen six or seven hummingbirds, whereas she estimated she had as many as 20 last year.

“I can’t think of anything I might have done to cause this,” he said. “Any ideas?”

It’s unfortunate, but it is a fairly common and disappointing aspect of hummingbird lives that their numbers tend to decline after they burst back on the scene every April. Some of those spring ruby-throated hummingbirds in April are migrants that are going to keep pushing farther north. They stick around for a while at a place they like but will eventually keep moving on, which is why numbers stay fairly consistent in late April and early May.

In late May, however, those hummingbirds intending to spend the summer north of us have departed the region. We are left with the hummers that have liked our yards and gardens enough to stick around with us for the entire summer. It’s also true that numbers of hummingbirds in any one specific area will fluctuate from year to year. It’s just possible that, for a reason that may be nothing greater than a garden planted with their favorite flowers, hummingbirds have shifted where they live for a season.

I experienced similar aspects of this situation myself this spring. I had probably a dozen hummingbirds at my feeders in late April, but throughout May their numbers dwindled. We have arrived in June, and I probably have two or three males and possibly one or two females. That means that the two females are probably nesting nearby. It’s also a fact that local numbers of birds fluctuate from year to year. Attracting them one year is not a guarantee they will return every subsequent year.

By May, the spring hummingbird migration is basically finished for the region. A few of the female hummingbirds, finding our yards to their liking, will conclude their epic journey here and spend the next few months tending to a new generation of hummers. Female ruby-throated hummingbirds lay two eggs. There are some reasons why it’s always a pair of eggs. First, the nest is so small that there is barely room for two eggs, let alone more. Second, once the young hatch, the nest has just enough room to accommodate them as they grow, fed well by their mother. Third, feeding two hungry young hummingbirds is a demanding task. A female hummingbird has to find enough food to fuel her own body and help her young in the nest grow and thrive. It’s a full-time job during the daylight hours. She’s hard-pressed to succeed at raising two young. Attempting to rear more would most likely prove impossible.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Female ruby-throated hummingbirds always lay two eggs, which means most females will care for two chicks after hatching. 

The entire process —€” from building the nest to incubating eggs to tending hatchlings —€” requires a commitment of more than two months. The female hummingbird builds her exquisite nest from lichen and various plant fibers, much of it held together by collected spider silk. Once that time-consuming task is completed, the female hummingbird lays her eggs. She will spend about the next 18 days incubating them. Once they hatch, the young will remain in the nest about 28 days (nearly a month) and depend on their mother to bring them regular meals. If that’s not enough, the ruby-throated hummingbird is known to nest twice in a season. It certainly must rank a female hummingbird as one of the busiest of our summer birds.

Of course, a few adult males will also put an end to their migration once they reach the region. The males, however, don’t assist with the rearing of their own young. For male hummingbirds, summer is mainly a time to thrive on the abundance of nectar-bearing blooms, as well as a profusion of tiny insects and spiders that also make up a good portion of their diet.

The good news is that hummingbird numbers will increase later this summer and in early fall. All those hummers that went farther north will migrate back through, and in the autumn they will be traveling with their kids. Be sure to keep feeders available when we hit August to offer places for hummers to rest and refuel as they migrate through again.

Photo by Chris F on Pexels.com

Only a single species — ruby-throated hummingbird — nests in the eastern United States, while several species nest in the western half of the nation, especially in the American southwest. Worldwide, the 300 some species of hummingbirds have been giving some incredibly descriptive names such as Andean blossomcrown, black inca, blue-chested hummingbird, buffy helmetcrest, bumblebee hummingbird, charming hummingbird, coppery emerald, gorgeted sunangel, great sapphirewing, green-breasted mountaingem, lesser violetear, long-tailed woodnymph, purple-bibbed whitetip, saw-billed hermit, spangled coquette and white-throated hummingbird. This sampling of the dazzling variety of names for these tiny birds is indicative of their long-standing popularity with people.

As I have done in years past, I advise a patient but proactive approach for attracting hummingbirds. Keep feeders readily available. Don’t add red dyes to your sugar water mixture, which is perfectly acceptable at a ratio of four parts water to one part sugar. If possible, offer flowers in addition to feeders. Don’t keep your landscape too tidy. A perfectly manicured lawn is like a desert for hummingbirds. Provide some shrubs and trees to provide cover and perching branches. Water features, particularly waterfalls and fountains, are also a reliable means of attracting hummingbirds, as well as other birds. These tips also help attract other sorts of birds, as well, so it’s a win-win situation for bird enthusiasts.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A ruby-throated hummingbird perches on a feeder.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A great crested flycatcher perches in the branches of a pine in South Carolina.

Knoxville resident Rebecca Boyd shared on Facebook on May 27 that she enjoyed seeing a new bird at her home. “Although the guide books say this is a common bird, this morning was the first time I’ve ever seen a great crested flycatcher,” she wrote on her post.

I congratulated her and asked if she heard the bird make its loud “wheep” call. Only one bird — the great crested flycatcher — produces that loud, whistled “wheep!” She reported that she did indeed hear the call, which helped her find the bird in a tree in her yard.

Many species of birds have been given puzzling common names, and this is certainly the case for the great crested flycatcher. This bird does indeed sport a raggedy crest. For a flycatcher, it is almost a showy bird with its brown and dull yellow plumage. There’s not much to explain the adjective “great” in this bird’s name. It’s only about eight inches long. Helped by the shaggy crest, this flycatcher looks like it has a head slightly too large for its body.

The great crested flycatcher is unique among the region’s flycatchers in nesting inside natural cavities, just like such popular cavity-nesting birds as Eastern bluebird, Carolina chickadee, and wood duck. This flycatcher will also nest inside bird boxes, although the entrance hole needs to be slightly larger than the ones required for bluebirds, swallows and other small songbirds. During spring visits to coastal South Carolina, I’ve observed these flycatchers attempting to nest inside wooden paper delivery boxes. I’m not sure what the newspaper subscribers thought of these clever attempts to take up residence in the boxes.

This flycatcher is famous for including a shedded snake skin into the construction of its nest. This prevalent tendency on the part of great crested flycatcher isn’t practiced as a whim. Studies suggest that the snake skin serves as a deterrent to ward off potential predators that might seek to eat the flycatcher’s eggs. With the advent of the era of mass production, the great crested flycatcher occasionally substitutes cellophane or other varieties of clear plastic in place of the traditional snake skin. The speculation is that the bird mistakes the cellophane for the remnant left behind when a snake sheds its old skin.

Photo by Rebecca Boyd • This great crested flycatcher visited in the yard at the residence of Rebecca Boyd in Knoxville, Tennessee.

As Rebecca did, you’ll probably hear a great crested flycatcher before you see it. Even when hidden in the forest canopy, the great crested flycatcher betrays its presence with its loud “Wheep! Wheep!” calls. They’re not skittish birds, however, and some patience will sometimes result in a visual observation of the bird.

Like with most other flycatchers, insects are the focus of the dietary preference of this bird. However, the great crested flycatcher will also eat some seasonally available fruit, including various berries. One of their ways of foraging for insects is to perch on a branch until an insect wanders into range. Once it spots an insect, the flycatcher swoops down to capture its prey.

The great crested flycatcher belongs to the Myiarchus genus of flycatchers, which consists of about two dozen species ranging throughout Central, South and North America. In the United States, the other two members of the genus are the ash-throated flycatcher, which resides in the western United States, and the brown-crested flycatcher, a resident of southern California, southern Nevada, central Arizona and southern Texas. Both of these species also range into Mexico and Central America. The island of Jamaica is home to one of the members of the genus with a claim to a rather unusual name. The sad flycatcher, better known in Jamaica as “little Tom Fool,” is considered a common resident of Jamaican forests.

A Great Crested Flycatcher holds a moth in its beak prior to feeding the insect to its hungry young.

The tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds, with more than 400 species. They are the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and Canada, where they are present but without the diversity seen south of the U.S. border. Other flycatchers in the United States during the summer nesting season include the well-known Eastern phoebe and Eastern kingbird, as well as such species as willow flycatcher, olive-sided flycatcher, and scissor-tailed flycatcher. The great crested flycatcher nests throughout the eastern United States and retreats to Mexico and Central America during the winter months, although a few migrate south only as far as Florida for the colder season.

Other descriptively named tyrant flycatchers include rufous flycatcher, stolid flycatcher, black-capped flycatcher, yellow-bellied flycatcher, fork-tailed flycatcher, golden-winged tody-flycatcher, flammulated flycatcher, boat-billed flycatcher, ornate flycatcher, cinnamon flycatcher and vermilion flycatcher. The latter is a bit of a standout among flycatchers in having brilliant red plumage.

Listen for that “wheep” call from up in the woodland canopy. The hidden singer often repeatedly produces the call. Once the summer nesting season ends, these birds are typically silent. On occasion, however, an individual bird will not remain mute, and I have heard the loud “wheep” call even in September and October during fall migration. Although the great crested flycatcher is found in the region, I have observed this bird with more frequency farther south in states like Georgia and South Carolina. You just have to use a little more effort to observe this interesting bird closer to home.

UPDATE:  Rebecca Boyd Compton emailed me to say that she lives in Northern Virginia and for several months a bird she had never seen keeps coming by and knocking on her kitchen window.

“Today, I got a great picture although the gas seal busted in this window so it’s a little cloudy. Too bad! However, my friend used a Facebook site to find out the name. It’s a Great Crested Flycatcher. I’ve live in Northern Virginia for 22 years and these recent sightings are my first!”

She then did a Google search and stumbled across my blog post about Rebecca Boyd’s sighting (in Knoxville, Tennessee). “How unusual! My name is Rebecca Boyd, too,” she noted. “Now, Compton with my married name, but how unusual. I guess this bird like to visit Rebecca Boyd!”

Photo by Rebecca Boyd Compton • Great Crested Flycatcher outside a window at a home in Northern Virginia. 

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Migrating shorebirds, such as this Solitary Sandpiper, add to shorebird diversity in the landlocked state of Tennessee as they migrate through each spring and fall.

As spring migration wanes, it’s a good time to reflect on what birds this seasonal phenomenon brought within viewing distance. In recent weeks I have seen grosbeaks, warblers, vireos, orioles, flycatchers, hummingbirds and more. Another family of migrating birds doesn’t attract quite as much attention from backyard birders, probably due to the fact that shorebirds are not usually considered birds likely to drop by a yard for a brief visit.

Throughout April and May I saw a few different shorebirds, most of them belonging to a group of birds labeled as sandpipers. The most common was the spotted sandpiper. This robin-sized bird belongs to the genus, Actitis, which consists of only one other species, the common sandpiper of Europe and Asia. The genus name originates with an ancient Greek term for “coast dweller,” which is an apt name for this shore-loving bird.

During their breeding season, spotted sandpipers sport dark spots against a bright white breast, a bright orange bill and a dark brown back. This distinctive pattern makes a springtime spotted sandpiper one of the most easily recognized members of a family that can cause some real challenges when it comes to identification. During the winter season, spotted sandpipers lose their spots and attain a dingy grayish-brown and white plumage. In their winter appearance, they are definitely not as easy to contrast from other shorebirds.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A spotted sandpiper relaxes on a stump adjacent to a pond during spring spring migration.

This sandpiper is also known for its unique teetering, tail-bobbing gait as it walks along a pond’s edge or a muddy stream bank. The similar solitary sandpiper has a less pronounced teeter-totter stance as it walks and forages.

The spotted sandpiper belongs to a group of related birds known collectively as shorebirds or, in a somewhat more whimsical context, “wind birds.”  They are known as “wind birds” for the propensity of many members of this extended family to stage long-distance migrations; some species fly through Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina each spring and fall as they migrate to and from distant nesting grounds. This varied family of birds ranges in size from sparrow-sized sandpipers to larger species such as American avocet and Hudsonian godwit.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A solitary sandpiper stretches a wing and leg during a migratory rest stop at a pond.

While Virginia and North Carolina are not landlocked like Tennessee, shorebird sightings are still infrequent enough that they cause some excitement among birders in the Mountain Empire region. This spring didn’t seem to produce sightings of too many surprise shorebird migrants. Some of the better reported observations included species like greater yellowlegs and white-rumped sandpiper. I observed only a few of the more common species; other than the aforementioned spotted sandpiper, I also saw several solitary sandpipers during late April and early May.

The solitary sandpiper is, in many ways, a bird of contradictions. For instance, despite this bird’s common name, they do travel in flocks on occasion. During migration, it’s just as likely to see three or four of these birds traipsing around the muddy edges of a pond as it is to observe a single individual. Unlike many sandpipers, they do not build a nest on the ground. Instead, the solitary sandpiper seeks out the old nests of songbirds, such as thrushes, in the branches of trees. This probably adds to the security of the nest, but poses a challenge once the young hatch. Young shorebirds are precocial in that they are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of their hatching. The parents usually must do some coaxing to get the young to leap from their nest in shrubs and trees.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A spotted sandpiper is easily identified in spring plumage.

Some of the other sandpipers found around the world include the spoon-billed sandpiper, sharp-tailed sandpiper, broad-billed sandpiper and Baird’s sandpiper. The latter’s name pays tribute to Spencer Fullerton Baird, a 19th-century naturalist and assistant secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Baird had other birds named for him, as well as several species of fish, a whale, a crab, a snake and a tapir.

While shorebirds are often intimidating to new birdwatchers, they don’t have to be. Go to any beach along any coast, especially during the height of spring and fall migration, and you’re likely to see perhaps a dozen or more species of shorebirds. Several of the species encountered are likely to be numbered among the sandpipers.

For a few of these birds, however, it’s not necessary to travel as far as the coast to see them. A visit to a river’s bank, a pond’s edge or a lake shore is sufficient to yield looks at such migrating shorebirds as pectoral sandpiper, lesser yellowlegs and least sandpiper, as well as the solitary sandpiper and spotted sandpiper. For these latter two species, they’re not really fussy. A spacious lawn with a flooded area is enough to attract one of two of these birds. I saw my first spotted sandpiper bobbing around the edges of a temporary puddle after a heavy spring rainstorm. Sometimes those April showers produce more than flowers. They also yield some interesting looks at migrating sandpipers.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A spotted sandpiper and a solitary sandpiper rest at the edge of a pond during a spring migration rest stop.