Spring may not be here just yet, but the hunt for hummingbirds starts early on the Coast, especially when the weather has convinced many of us to keep the flip flops on standby.
When the days become longer and the weather becomes a little bit better, hummingbirds make their way back up north through most of the United States.
This migration process usually starts around the end of February, and by March people will start to notice hummingbirds in different areas.”
Are they here yet? There have been no recorded sightings on the Mississippi Coast, but the birds have been flitting all around us.
Hummingbird Central's migration charts show a rufous hummingbird in Thibodaux, Louisiana, on Jan. 20 and a bull-bellied in Mandeville, Louisiana, on Jan. 9.
A ruby-throated hummingbird was observed in Bay Minette, Alabama, this week. From south to north, hummingbirds migrate across the country in approximately two months.
Hummingbirds Plus has a migration map that shows migration from March 1 to May 10, and the Gulf Coast is one of the first stops on the route.
By the end of March, the most common hummingbird, the ruby red-throated hummingbird, arrives and sticks around through November