Fattening Up
Hummingbirds need to build up a lot of fat to fuel their migration, especially if they’re going to strike out over water and fly over 600 miles without resting at all. They leave when they are fat enough. Keep your feeders up, but notice other foods that help the tiny birds gain the fat they need to fuel migration:

"It's been 6 days since our last little migrant came through, but finally saw a female/juvie. She fed for quite awhile on our orange hanging Calibrachoa, chowing down on as many blossoms as she could! We don't know if she even saw the feeders. If she did, that's not what she was hungry for! I see in the Field Reports & Live Maps on here that some hummers are still north of us. I hope they'll find their way to our hummer restaurant!"

Margi in Sewell, New Jersey (September 24, 2013

"Yesterday I saw a hummingbird pick 'insect parts' out of a spider's web. Really cool!"

Christine at Smith-Hale Middle School, Kansas City, MO (September 22, 2013)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird nectaring at blossoms
Photo: Cheryl Roudebush