A Dramatic Change
It was a week of dramatic change in Gulf of Mexico states. The toll came in after the cold front passed. From peak to present numbers, here's the count:

• From 120 to 12 hummers in Port Lavaca, Texas
• From 51 to 6 in San Antonio, Texas
• From 30 to 6 in Annona, Texas
• From 80 to 30 in Iowa, Louisiana
• From 35 to 5 in Farmerville, Louisiana
• From 100 to 70 in Diamondhead, Mississippi

A few sites along the Gulf reported an increase in numbers, most likely part of a wave of hummingbirds coming down from the north.

Hummingbirds at School

"The hummingbirds have been coming in about a dozen at a time. Beginning this week (Sept. 26) we have noticed that the numbers have dropped. But we enjoy the ones who come to feed," reports Newport Elementary from Crosby, Texas.

"Hummers continue to be sighted on our feeder," West Blocton Elementary reports from from Alabama. "We will continue to monitor our little traveling friends."

"A hummer came into our school building this morning!" wrote Providence Spring Elementary from Charlotte, North Carolina. To the rescue came a careful custodian with a long-handled broom. "Finally, the hummer stayed on the broom long enough to go outside. It flew away into the nearby woods."

Colder and Darker as the Seasons Change
People are noticing how hummingbirds try to cope with colder and darker conditions:

"I am on the porch before sunrise and they are feeding in the dark. They were feeding at 9PM last night in the dark, too." Sevuerville, Tennessee

"It got much cooler yesterday and in the evening I watched one perch on an exposed twig and fluff up its feathers." Bloomington, Indiana

"When I got up this morning, one male was peeking in the kitchen window at me in the dark!! I guess they need more food?! (Or he was just saying 'good morning'?)" Chattanooga, Tennessee

Observations Lead to Questions
Dozens of people noted the big questions their tiny hummingbirds raised. For example:

"I still see a lonesome little female. How is she going to travel alone all that way?" Fountain Inn, South Carolina

How can hummingbirds migrate alone? How long does migration take? For answers to questions like these,

• See Answers from the Hummingbird Expert

Thanks to everyone for sharing their first-hand, backyard observations of North America's favorite birds! Please continue to tell us what you see.