| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Food, territorial matters may have affected hummingbirds, too By Tony Harvey The answer to the question about where the hummingbirds have gone is a little complicated. As he suggested, the lower temperatures have had a huge effect on their delayed return. As to why they haven't returned since being seen earlier this spring may also be answered with one simple explanation: The average life span of the Ruby Throats is approximately 4 years and the record is 12 years. Some may have been already weak from their return from Central and South America, and possibly expired due to the lower temperatures in our area. They require huge amounts of nectar and insects to survive. Many people assume that their diet is strictly nectar. While they do intake large amounts that is mainly to give them the energy to fly. They eat ants, mosquitoes, and just about any of the smaller insects as long as it will fit in their mouth. The Ruby throats have been reported as far north as several provinces in Canada in recent weeks. Another answer may be that they are simply going where the food source is available. Until recent years the Ruby Throat was the only hummingbird species east of the Mississippi river. Now the Rufous Hummingbird competes for territory and that could be putting a strain on the Ruby Throat populations. The Rufous is known to winter east of the Mississippi, so when the Rubies make a early return, they have to contend with the Rufous and fight with them for the nectar and insects. They will return in the near future, I would think, once the temperatures are more stable. I'm thinking that possibly next week will bring their return. The forecast is for high temperatures then, maybe to be in the lower 80's. These are my own personal thoughts on the issue and can probably be answered better by a Ornithologist with a degree. I've been studying birds and wildlife in general for more than 30 years. I've just never acquired the legal documents to be a professional. I hope this helps with concerns about the Ruby Throats. This story was posted on 2008-05-19 11:17:34
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic News:
For 2nd year Wal-Mart lends helping hand to Trooper Island Local effort raised $6,186.55 for Ronald McDonald House Columbia native Dr. William J. Callison, MD dies in NC Special Called Meeting, City Council, May 20, 2008 Birds of Kentucky: Where did the hummingbirds go? Kentucky Trees #5: Flowering dogwood is hardy Sunday links to check: Our Sam Clemens was Rebel, briefly Byron Crawford has story on Adair Co., KY oil this morning (ADV) CM Classifieds can put extra cash in your pocket now KY Military assistance available up to $5,000 View even more articles in topic News |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
