It is mid August—in Texas, which means it is hot.  A hot south wind is blowing hot air from off the hot desert somewhere in Mexico where it is very hot.   A ridge of high pressure is parked overhead and it is hot—very hot.   The grass is turning brown because it is so hot and the earth is cracking open (because it is so hot).  Small white clouds come and go in the pale blue sky but bring no relief from the hot chaffing winds or the searing heat.   The air is scented with the smell of hot cedars and hot pines baking in the hot breeze and the only respite from the heat comes early in the morning and late in the evening.   Even the songbirds seem stilled by the stifling heat. 

          Even thought it is so hot, this is an exciting time for birdwatchers.  Believe it or not, a number of birds from the far north are already forsaking the cool weather up north in favor of the vernal furnaces farther south.  It is hard to understand why fall migration has already begun when it is still so hot! So if you want to experience bird migration without leaving home, just hang a hummingbird feeder on the nearest window—because hummingbird migration is already in full swing.

A few days ago I noticed our feeder had gone dry, and of all things, a poor little hummingbird was trying to glean some nutrition from that empty bottle.  So Kristin mixed some sugar water and after it cooled I poured it into the feeder.  Our recipe is easy enough—just take four cups of water and stir in one cup of sugar and bring to a boil. After the water cools, pour it into the nearest hummingbird feeder and hang it where you can enjoy the freeloaders.   Red dye is not recommended anymore—most feeders today have some red on them to mimic the color of flowers to attract the little gems.

          The next day I was sitting on the porch when I saw that there were several hummingbirds working that feeder.   As far as I could tell, they were Ruby-throated Hummingbirds—the only species that breeds in northeast Texas.  Males have a ruby red throat, with white breasts while the backs are green.  Females and immature males are pretty plain—with white breasts and green backs.  They return to northeast Texas from their tropical winter homes in March and remain until November.

          The next day I was sitting on the porch when I heard a hummingbird making a strange click, click, click.  After grabbing my binoculars it didn’t take me long to realize that this was most likely a Rufous Hummingbird—a real hot looking bird.  It had a fiery orange rump and tail, orange, buff – colored sides and an orange face which contrasted with a green back.   The Rufous Hummingbird hails from the mountains of the Pacific Northwest—breeding from Oregon and Wyoming to Alaska.  I say it was probably a Rufous because there is a closely related species from coastal California—the Allen’s Hummingbird—that looks so similar that it can’t be identified unless the tail feathers are measured. 

          Twenty years ago these western hummingbirds were unheard of in our area, but for some reason in the last decade or so, migrants began showing up in our area in mid summer—and even remaining well into winter. Leaving a feeder up after the first frost will not cause the birds to linger and die as many suppose.  Ruby-throated Hummingbirds will not stay into the cold weather because they are sensitive to it and will leave whether or not your feeder is up.   These western hummers, on the other hand, are not sensitive to cold weather—it must have something to do with the temperatures they encounter in the mountains during the summer.  In fact, they can be harmed if you take your feeder down when it gets cold. 

In over 17 years of watching my feeders, this was the first Rufous to pay me a visit.  However, they are more regularly seen in northeast Texas in urban areas, and, in fact, around some feeders they are almost expected.    You should keep an eye out for these beautiful birds.  Keep a camera and a field guide handy.  You never know what will show up!