Many folks in middle Georgia place hummingbird feeders in their yards each year to attract hummingbirds. Most of us are familiar with the ruby-throated hummingbird that frequents our yards and gardens during the summer months.

The Ruby-throated hummingbirds begin their migration back to Central and South America in the fall. This year I saw my last Ruby-throated hummer about two weeks ago when the first cold front arrived.

Most Georgians will put their hummingbird feeders away for the winter and by doing so you might miss seeing some of the much rarer varieties of hummingbirds that visit Georgia each winter. Several rare hummingbirds are spotted each winter in middle Georgia.

“Until a few years ago, we didn’t even know we had several hummingbird species wintering here,” said Todd Schneider a biologist with the Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section. “Keeping feeders available also helps biologist gather data on winter hummer populations.”

There are 12 different hummingbirds that have been sighted and documented in Georgia over the winter months. Those hummingbirds spend the summer in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska and migrate to south-central Mexico. Some take a different route and end up in the southeast United States.

Some hummingbirds are thought to stray from their normal migration route but the Rufous hummingbird regularly winters here and is the most commonly seen in Georgia during the winter. The Rufous is the most frequent visitor to our area during the winter and is the only hummingbird that my wife and I have seen at our hummingbird feeder during the winter.

The Rufous has the longest migration of any North American hummingbird. Its breeding range extends from the Pacific Northwest as far north as southern Alaska to its primary wintering grounds in south-central Mexico. More than 100 Rufous hummingbirds have been sighted during a single winter in Georgia.

Hummingbirds have the ability to go into a state of torpor where they can lower their body temperature by as much as 30 degrees Fahrenheit and that allows the hummingbirds to survive in the winter cold.

Most winter hummingbirds are not seen since most people shut down their hummingbird feeders in the fall after the Ruby-throated hummers are thougth to have left the area. Leaving a feeder up throughout the winter will give you a chance to see and maybe photograph one of these rare hummingbirds during the winter months.

Georgian’s have at least two places where they can report winter hummingbird sightings. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division encourages sightings be reported to their Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program office at 478-994-1438.

Those reported sightings document the incidence of wintering hummers and help biologist determine the hummer’s habitat needs. Sightings can also be reported to the Georgia Hummer Study Group, Inc.’s website at www.gahummer.org. Taking a photo of the hummingbird will help tremendously with identification.

You can bring in the feeder each night and put the feeder out the next morning to avoid the freezing temperatures but that takes determination and a good memory. Heat strips that you would put around a pipe to keep it from freezing or a light afixed next to the feeder will possibly keep the liquid from freezing.

If you have already put that hummingbird feeder away, why not get it back out and see if you might be able to attract a rare hummingbird to your yard this winter?

See you next week.