This recent spell of unbelievably gorgeous weather followed by a chilly snap has done little to abet my craze for spring. Last month, I was thinking about early blooming natives, this month I’m focused on who will be the next migratory bird to show up on my door. With currants and indian plum blooming full bore, my ears have been perked for a familiar sound that graces the Hill, the delightful buzz of a male Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus).

We’ve talked about our resident Anna’s Hummingbirds (Calypte anna) on Pikes/Pines before, but Rufous Hummingbirds are also very worthy of our attention. They weigh only as much as a piece of paper (.2 oz), but they migrate here from Mexico. They make lots of stops along the way, but when we compare body length to the distance they travel each year, they are champion migrants. Some individuals go as far north as coastal Southeastern Alaska, which also makes them the most northerly breeding species of hummingbird in the world.

Once they get here, and only a few end up sticking around on the Hill, they breed fairly quickly and then get on their way toward more food. A typical migration pattern for Rufous Hummingbirds is to follow the blooming cycle of plants in a loop that starts in California in January, heads our way by May at the latest, jets up to the alpine by mid June, and then continues through the interior states and back south along the spine of the continent.

That’s how they arrived here, sipping their way north; you can quite literally watch them arrive as native shrubs bloom and watch them disappear to the mountains once alpine meadows explode with nectar. They won’t show up here until there’s food to eat because they aren’t hardy enough to endure cold weather like our Anna’s do, without sufficient native forage.

Rufous are just beginning to trickle in. They are incredibly feisty little birds too, even compared to our impressively aggressive Anna’s Hummingbirds. We may only have a few Rufous breed on the Hill, but when they do migrate through, you’re likely to notice at your feeder. They’re smaller, more rusty colored, and lighter on the front than Anna’s. They’ll also take over your feeder in a jiffy, or at least hold their own against a resident bird. This is a very productive behavior, because it allows them to secure food, even in unknown locales with other species to compete with.

Male Rufous Hummingbirds are particularly noticeable as they arrive back on territory or pass through. Their wings make a particular buzz, a sound I’ve come to associate with their spring arrival. This isn’t the hum of any hummingbird wings, but a high pitched whirr you can hear from many yards away. Males take this noise into high gear when they set up territory and display in a steep “j” shape, diving and circling back up for females that happen by.

Rufous Hummingbirds have been in decline since the late 60s, their population dropping steadily by a percent or so each year. This is mostly thought to be related to habitat availability. Their migrations may be epic and admirable, but they’re also dangerous and as urban areas spread, there are fewer links between food on their migratory path. Ornithologists are so worried about Rufous Hummingbirds that they are on the United State’s 2014 State of Birds watch list, which is for species that require efforts to keep from becoming endangered or even extinct.

With this grim thought in mind, what can we do to help? Having native plants available for them is first and foremost, in our gardens or otherwise. Being an advocate for green spaces is important too, and additionally being sure pollinators are considered when those spaces are designed or augmented. And last but not least, making sure when we do feed hummingbirds we keep the ratios of sugar to water correct (four parts water to one part sugar), don’t use red dye, and clean our feeders regularly.

From there, it’s a bigger problem beyond the Hill, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work to help a species in need. So, keep your ears open and maybe you’ll find yourself face to face with a Rufous Hummingbird checking out the red lid to your water bottle, or if you’re like me, checking out your scarlet face after you’ve done something irretrievably embarrassing.

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