Date: 07/06/2021

Number: 4

Overheated Female Ruby-throated

Breeding females and possibly their young have returned to using the nectar feeder more often
Before noon on my upper deck the 86° temp in the shade 65% humidity were raising rapidly to drive the heat index up to a afternoon that felt like > 100° The hummingbirds were drinking more from the ant moat than nectar feeder itself and I’d already refilled it with filtered water twice and watered my plants twice One female hummer was clearly already in more distress than the others She would land on the feeder repeatedly and often But then spend at least 5 long minutes panting in a cool down stance with beak open before drinking Then more time resting with beak open stance or leaning on the sloped edge of the well type feeder before liftoff It was hard to watch Sorry no pictures because of the angle of the sun from my vantage points I felt it was important to her health not to disturb her and just stayed ready to bring her inside if she ever stayed still for too long or lost her balance Thankfully a heavy cloudburst did popup around 6:30 to clear the air Hummingbirds afterwards were buzzing the mint planter where mostly catnip is blooming right up until it got too dark with new energy I certainly hope she was among them I can never be sure exactly how many use my feeding station but 4 were in sight at once tonight 2 females and 2 males I believe visits were so frequent that there were up to twice as many in total today
I did put out a clean birdbath with bubbler around 1:00,but the hummingbirds didn’t seem to use it at all
Because of the mysterious songbird affection going around water has not been out daily for awhile Yesterday it was needed and there haven’t been reports of the neurological issues yet in my county I’ll stay diligent I’m willing to clean water and food dishes every day or more often and remove them completely if this area becomes a hotspot for the spreading affliction

Crittenden, KY

Latitude: 38.8 Longitude: -84.6

Observed by: Jypsi
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