North Texans are capturing amazing moments of a phenomenon happening across the area right now.
Swarms of hummingbirds are migrating south ahead of the winter and North Texas happens to sit in the middle of the huge migration path for different species of hummingbirds.
The little birds are making a pitstop in gardens, parks, and people’s yards across the Metroplex and beyond.
“They’re one of the birds that actually work in pollinating flowers and right now, they’re actually migrating through Texas. They’re coming from Canada from Maine and going through the central flyway through Texas. So it’s an exciting time to be a birder,” said Sam Kieschnick, an urban wildlife biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Viewers have been sending us incredible videos of hummingbirds, sometimes in the dozens, buzzing around feeders.
Because their wings flap hundreds of times per minute, hummingbirds are constantly looking for food from flowers and feeders to gain the energy they need for the long journey.
“Enjoy them. Appreciate them. I mean, it is cool that we live in a spot that funnels all of these birds through as they’re making their way to Central America and Mexico,” said Kieschnick.
Click below to see incredible close-up photos of hummingbirds in Grayson County by photographer Justin Parker.
The drought over the summer killed off many flowering plants, the food source for these hummingbirds. Thankfully the rain came just in time for migration to help things bloom again but the birds could use our help.
“We’re observing the flower times – they can be changing, too. And if the flower times change, that also changes the migration because the birds try to mimic the flowering. So they’re moving through to get some of the flowers,” Kieschnick said. “So if we have these dramatic changes, that changes the flowers, which can change the migration. So we try to do some of these things to help out – planting plants is so good for the entire ecosystem, for the bugs for the birds, for the plants for everything. So that’s a crucial thing.”
If you want to help the hummingbirds that are making a pitstop in North Texas for food, plant tubular flowers like petunias, trumpet creepers, Turk’s caps, zinnia, or salvia.
“I encourage folks to use some of the native plants. This is good for our native pollinators, like our hummingbirds, but also good for the entire ecosystem,” said Kieschnick.
You can also make your own hummingbird food at home to add to a feeder by mixing one part sugar with four parts water. Just make sure that the feeders are cleaned and frequently changed.
You can find hummingbird feeders at most garden stores or you can make your own at home. Click here for more tips on attracting hummingbirds.
It’s also that time of year for so many bird species to start migrating through North Texas, especially at night.
Downtown Dallas and Forth Worth usually goes dark periodically through the month of October as part of the Lights Out Texas campaign to support migratory birds.
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