I Wonder!

     ​For the last 2 weeks migrant hummingbirds have been showing up in my yard. All the adult males have now left my garden and are are probably a few hundred miles or more S.E. of my place. All the adult female hummingbirds have also left, but behind them are still the angry little children they've left to fend for themselves and fight among each other. Even many of them have left my garden over the last couple days. I've witnessed 4 migrating Rubies just in the last 2 days, and with my yard being dramatically emptied out of hummingbirds, I'm sure I've missed far more leaving. 
     Their migratory behavior is quite a bit different from their regular behavior. They start showing signs that the fighting is less important than just gathering up the layers of fat and storing the energy for what lies ahead. They will travel a whopping 50km/day(31 miles) in flight, and that doesn't inclued the massive leap over the Gulf of Mexico once the get there. 
     The wonders I always have are probably not much different than all the other hummingbirders - Where are they at this moment? How spread out are they? Which Provinces or States are they currently in? Have they all survived to this point with the many dangers they'll encounter? There are many questions once they leave each of our gardens, and it's pretty much out of our hands at this point. We just have to hope and wait til the following Spring to see how things turn out.
     The image is of a young Ruby feeding on the last few Delphinium flowers, while many of those already spent are now developing seed pods. I love the colors and textures in this photo. N.E. of Edmonton, AB. Canada. August 2018

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