Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male) – 4/29/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein

Observation Date: 4/29/26

Observation Time: 7:25 p.m.

Observation Location: Gavins Pond Rd.

Common Name: Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male)

Scientific Name: Archilochus colubris

Comments: Male ruby-throated hummingbirds usually arrive in New England in late April to early May. The females typically arrive a week or so later. These males arrive first to establish and defend breeding territories before the females arrive to select mates. When they arrive here after their long migration, they are tired and hungry.

Our hummingbird feeder, located right outside our kitchen window, provides close-up views of these fascinating creatures from late April through mid-September. All we have to do is clean the feeder and change the sugar water (1/4 cup of sugar per cup of water) every three or four days.

With a little patience, hummingbirds can even be trained to feed from your hand using a small hand-held feeder.

If hummingbirds find the feeder when they arrive in spring, they’ll nest nearby, weaving their teacup-size nests from lichens and spider webs. Their two white eggs are the size of jelly beans.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only species of hummingbird commonly seen in New England. They overwinter in Costa Rica. When they migrate north in spring, they fly several hundred miles across the Gulf of Mexico.

Hummingbirds make their nests out of lichens and spider webs. They weigh about as much as a nickel.

These photos were taken through the kitchen window with a cell phone.

More Information: All About Birds