Get ready to put your hummingbird feeders out. See where they are with interactive map

Veer Mudambi, Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Hummingbirds are synonymous with spring, and for many Massachusetts gardeners and bird watchers used to temperamental New England weather, looking out the window to see these hard-working pollinators hovering over the flowerbed is as sure a sign as any that the seasons have finally turned.

Bird enthusiasts will recognize the Ruby-throated hummingbird at their feeders and gardens, the primary species that nests in the Eastern United States according to Mass Audubon, and is forecast to be returning this spring.

Every year, these tiny birds migrate more than the length of the continental United States to Massachusetts from their winter retreats in Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama.

Track hummingbirds as they migrate to Massachusetts

BARRE - A hummingbird sips nectar from a feeder on Sunday, July 5, 2020. According to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the ruby-throated hummingbird is the smallest breeding bird found in the state.
BARRE - A hummingbird sips nectar from a feeder on Sunday, July 5, 2020. According to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the ruby-throated hummingbird is the smallest breeding bird found in the state.

Thanks to HummingbirdCentral.com, an interactive map allows bird watchers to report sightings that will then be fed into the constantly updated map, hummingbirds are easy to track. As of Monday, April 15, the birds have not yet been reported in Massachusetts, with early arrival having been seen in Ford, New Jersey this past weekend.

This is somewhat later than last year, with the first potential hummingbird sighting in the state reported on April 12, 2023, in Worcester, Mass.

Hummingbird rest stop

If you want to set up a feeder for the hummingbirds after their continent spanning journey, Charles Clarkson, director of Audubon Avian Research, in an email, recommended the following:

  • A mixture that is one part sugar to four parts water. A tip: “Bleached white sugar works just fine, and many individual birds seem to prefer it,” he wrote.

  • Change the feeder every week.

  • When you change the food, clean the feeder with a solution that is 10% bleach and 90% water. Rinse well.

  • Hang the feeder in an open area. “Hummingbirds dart around and maneuver constantly and need the space to accommodate these movements,” he wrote.

Bird watchers should be careful where and when to set up their feeders however - the food inside can attract much larger wildlife such as bears. Residents in areas with heavy bear activity are advised to use their discretion.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Hummingbirds Interactive Map: See how close hummingbirds are to MA

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