Date: 4/10/25 2:06 pm From: Jim Anderton <jim.anderton.fl...> Subject: [NFLbirds] Hummingbirds and Spring Migration in Okaloosa County
Hello all,
We recently installed a camera on our hummingbird feeder, mostly so that we know if/when to put it away for the winter. But I've also found that it gives clues about migration in general. Here is a summary of the number of feeder visits we've recorded in the last week:
What stands out is the 51 hummingbird feeder visits on 7 Apr, with a very low Birdcast migration count. Our best local migration trap, Okaloosa Veterans Park, was exceptionally good from 7 to 9 Apr. There were, for example, nineteen warbler species in the park over those three days. This was not unexpected after days of strong south winds followed by a storm front on 6 - 7 April that cut off birds as they arrived, and left north winds in its wake. What about the low Birdcast counts? Birdcast estimates the number of birds crossing the county, not birds that hit the coast and don't leave.
Even though we don't see a lot of migrant species in our yard, we do get hummingbirds. The next time I see a spike in feeder visits, I will head over to Veterans Park to see what else may have arrived!
