Viewing New York City's Hummingbird--The Ruby-Throated

A bit smaller than your thumb and flying faster than the eye can see, the hummingbird is one animal that can hide in plain sight. Often mistaken for a bee, during the Fall migration thousands of hummingbirds pass through New York City, but many city residents have never seen one. August through September is the best time to make the acquaintance of this annual migrant.

New York City is a primary stop along the migratory route known as the Mid-Atlantic Flyway and although a major city, it is an important stopping off point for many birds facing the winter trip to South America.

Our resident hummingbird is the Ruby-Throated, Archilochus colubris. Female Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds have metallic green backs and white undersides and throat. She is slightly larger than the male. The male has a ruby-throat that may sometimes look black instead of the female's white.

This bee-sized bird weighs an eighth of an ounce and has a resting heartbeat of 250/minute that can soar to 1200/minute while feeding. To maintain this incredible metabolic rate, the bird subsists on a diet of pure sugar. Amateur birders can easily attract birds to feeders filled with sugar syrup, but in the wild, it is nectar that fuels the flight. This is key to staking out this bird.

When stalking a hummingbird, think orange or red and tubular, the common color and shape of the flowers preferred by this wee beastie. Fuchsia's, columbines, and many others of tubular shape and hot hues are reliable troughs for the always voracious bird. Although territorial and highly-aggressive toward other hummingbirds, bees and moths, the hummingbird pays humans not a bit of mind and may even be drawn nearer by a red shirt.

Locally, the best places to see the hummingbird is at The New York Botanical Garden's demonstration gardens, directly in front of the Enid Haupt Conservatory. This garden has regularly-scheduled, free walks with trained birders who can help you distinguish between a bird and a bee.

Another excellent location is Wave Hill in the Bronx. Here they will congregate near the hanging fuchsias and by the orange flowers planted on top of the hill behind the grape arbor. An especially nice spot from which to view these birds is seated on rose covered benches on either side of the garden that fronts the conservatory.

Should Long Island be your cup of tea, expect a reliable showing in Oyster Bay's Planting Fields Arboretum. In addition to the birds that naturally congregate near the profusely-growing flowers, the staff has added sugar-filled feeders at the entrance to the main greenhouse and one can easily see the birds while enjoying a picnic lunch in the adjacent benches.

Why not plan a fun field trip today?

Sources:
http://www.hummingbirds.net/rubythroated.html
http://www.nybg.org/
http://wavehill.org/home/
http://www.plantingfields.org/