Plant A Hot Spot

Fuel late-season hummingbirds with these fall-blooming nectar picks.

- Sally Roth

Hummingbird habits in autumn aren’t what they used to be—and that could be a good thing if you'd like to see more of the speedy little fliers whizzing around your backyard later in the season.

“Things have shifted,” says John Rowden, director of community conservation at the National Audubon Society. Ruby-throated hummingbirds, the only species found in most of the eastern half of the country, used to depart colder regions in September. Now some of them are lingering into October, with sightings in November and even December, far outside their usual wintering range.

Also on the rise across much of the country are fall sightings of western hummingbirds like the coppery rufous, calliope, Anna’s and others.

Scientists can’t say for sure what is causing the recent shift. But John notes that late fall hummingbirds “are actually spending a fair bit of time at feeders, guarding a feeder as a very valuable resource.”

While sugar-water feeders provide an easy feast, hummingbirds often take breaks from a feeder to visit nearby flowers or snap up tiny insects. And if a feisty hummer declares that a feeder is all mine, late-blooming plants give others a chance to eat.