Hummingbirds 2022

Not yet but I am seeing reports from people in Morris and Sussex counties that theirs have returned. Last year mine returned on May 1.

3wbdwnj ✉
Apr '22

Thanks, 3wdbwnj, I will!
Making a small batch right now... just in case!
If they're here, they'll need a good source, not many nectar plants out yet.

Iris ✉
Apr '22

Yes! Had the feeders out for them when they showed up earlier this week. :)

RTC ✉
Apr '22

Here too - saw first hummer yesterday - and today saw my first ever Baltimore Oriole -

4catmom ✉
May '22

Just curious if anyone else has noticed a sharp decline in the numbers this year. I have had our feeder out for a month(changing the food weekly) and only seen one male in early may. Also put out lots of flowers they love.
jay waldstein

jay waldstein ✉
May '22

The increase in different, invasive Asian bugs have started cut-off/change the food/nectar source (among other factors) to the hummingbird's population.

aol123@aol.com ✉
May '22

I still get the morning and evening feedings but they are nesting now. Every time I go to clean and refill the feeders, one of them comes buzzing by, no matter what time of day.

Blackcat ✉
Jun '22

Right, those plants/flowers/nectar (even from manmade feeders) are integral to hummingbirds and maintaining its population.

But what happens (to hummingbird's population) when those sources are diminished by the 'new' different, invasive Asian insects of late, or years ago?
--excerpts of evidence from some sources, as per your request:

1) "The Japanese beetle is the "worst landscape pest in America" because it damages plants in both the adult and larval stages. As an adult beetle in mid-summer, the beetles are known to devour the foliage, flowers, and fruit from more than 300 species of plants."

2) "These obnoxious little pests are brown marmorated stink bugs. Native to Eastern Asia, they were first discovered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. They eat almost anything [at least 100 types of crops] including apples, pears, soybeans, green beans, raspberries and cherries. And they’re destructive: In 2010, 18 percent of the mid-Atlantic apple crop was destroyed by the bugs. Brown marmorated stink bugs have few natural predators."

3) "A relative newcomer, the spotted lanternfly arrived in the U.S. from northern China in 2014. It’s known for its large, black-spotted gray wings and its destructive behavior. Spotted lanternflies eat sap from more than 70 different plant species, including important crops like grapevines, maple trees, and black walnut trees."

4) "Asian giant hornets can be attracted to hummingbird feeders, state agriculture officials say. [Though most of the time bees, wasps, and these hornets create more of a nuisance to these hummingbirds, the actual threat is causing hummingbirds seek nectar or take residence elsewhere.]" (...decreasing chances to survive)

5) "Pesticides may now be dropping hummingbird populations too [According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, these insects cost the state $324 million a year if it isn’t controlled.]"



https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/japanese-beetle#:~:text=The%20Japanese%20beetle%20is%20the%20%22worst%20landscape%20pest,fruit%20from%20more%20than%20300%20species%20of%20plants.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/646169/most-destructive-invasive-insects

https://www.q13fox.com/news/asian-giant-hornets-can-be-attracted-to-hummingbird-feeders-state-agriculture-officials-say

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/07/09/news/insecticide-found-same-bc-hummingbirds-are-decline

aol123@aol.com ✉
Jun '22