When in the autumn should I stop feeding hummingbirds?

Question

I've read that hummingbirds will sometimes stay around as long as they have food in their feeders, which is a bad thing when the weather starts turning colder. I'd like advice on how to judge - according to the weather - when to take in the feeders and encourage the hummers to move on to warmer climates. Thanks.

Answer 1

Mine are usually gone by October 10, but we're in PA and it gets chillier here pretty fast. They show up in the first two weeks of May, hungry and pissy and so much fun to watch.

It probably depends on your weather and how far they're flying back to Mexico.

Answer 2

This should be considered an old wives tale.  The birds are smart enough to know when to head south.  In fact, it is good to keep the feeders up, as they need to extra nutrition while they head south, and happen to find your feeder.

Answer 3

I am always sorry to see them go.

Hummingbirds migrate in response to changing length of daylight, not the availability of food. I always leave my feeders up until the first frost. It doesn’t' hurt the feeders and if any stragglers come through I get to see them.

Information on migration on each species, by state.

http://hummingbirdworld.com/h/migrate.ht...