Date: 10/16/2022

Number: 1

Our sweet Willow departed on her very first migration yesterday morning, the 15th. She was the last resident hummingbird (juvenile female) for us this season. We did have a traveler show up late yesterday afternoon. He/she spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening feeding from the flowers. I didn't see him/her feed from the feeders. He/she must have fueled up very early this morning and continued on their way, as I didn't observe them at all today.

While the photo I've attached is not the best quality, it does show Willow doing what she loves doing best, feeding from her flowers. This photo was snapped recently as she was feeding while I was out in the garden with her. As you can see, she had put on some good weight and was ready for her journey.

It's been another remarkable year for us in the garden with our hummingbirds. They truly make summer magical for us. Our 3 year old, Josephine, is already quite entranced by them. We name any that we are able to get to know. Some of our favorites this year include Maverick, Percy, Snow, Gidget, and of course, Willow.

One female, Miss Shimmer, started it all for us the summer of 2020, shortly after we moved here. We put out a couple of feeders and started planting flowers. We fell in love with her instantly and learned as much about hummingbirds as we possibly could. She had babies and they came back in 2021 and we had more feeders and a lot more flowers waiting for them all. Our first adult male, Sparky, made his presence known last summer and we fell in love with him as well. When babies fledged, we got to know them by being out in the garden with them. Some favorites from last year include Little Gem, Sprite, and Squeak.

This year, they returned and we were delighted to find ourselves with lots more babies as we now had multiple hummingbird dads and moms. Favorites this year include Maverick, Snow, Percy, Gidget, and of course, Willow.

Next year, we'll have even more flowers waiting for them and look forward to sharing the garden with them yet again. Until then, we'll continue to pray for their safety and well being. I so enjoy looking at the reports on Journey North and I love the awesome photography that some post with their sightings, Some of my favorites include Amy, Linda, and Marjorie. You all have inspired me to be more diligent about taking photos of my hummingbirds next year with my camera rather than my phone. And the posts from Beverly are always welcomed. I've learned so much from so many of you, especially regarding favorite flowers and such. Thank you.

I'll miss hearing their chatter and squeaks and watching them dance among the flowers and duke it out in the sky, but I'm so glad that won't be here when it's rather miserable come January and February. And they will be back before we know it. Like Josephine says, they'll start showing up right before her birthday, April 11th. Until then, I'll keep some feeders out, fresh and clean, and I'll keep my flowers going for as long as possible. I pray these forecasted night time temps this week don't result in a frost. But even if that happens, our hummers are resilient and strong. I'll keep posting any travelers I see. God speed, little mighty sky dancers!

Kernersville, NC

Latitude: 36.1 Longitude: -80.1

Observed by: Sophie
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