PSA: The Annual “My Hummingbirds Have Vanished!” Fear Has Returned

Every year, like clockwork, we enter a very special season in the birding world. No, not migration. Not nesting. I’m talking about the Season of Missing Hummingbirds — also known as “That Time of Year When People Forget What Nature Does.”

The posts start rolling in:
“Help! All my hummingbirds are gone!”
“Is something wrong with my feeder?”
“Do hummingbirds even like me anymore?”

In our Facebook groups: Texas Birder, Birds of East Texas, Birds of Lake O’ the Pines, NETFO, etc as well as other birding groups throughout Texas, we start getting post after post, followed by an avalanche of comments—most of which nobody seems to read before posting the exact same question again. So, for those of you wondering if you should sound the tiny trumpet of hummingbird despair, let me save you the suspense:

They’re fine. You’re fine. Everything’s fine. (YAY! 🙂 )

Here’s what’s really going on:

Nature’s buffet is open for business!
This time of year, unless we’re in a significant drought, there’s a smorgasbord of blooms out there. Wildflowers, garden plants, and native species are all pumping out nectar like it’s a festival—and hummingbirds are RSVP’ing “Yes” to every bloom. Add to that the abundance of small insects (yep, they eat bugs too), and they’re living their best all-natural life.

Feeders are the fast food of the bird world.
Think of your feeder like a gas station snack stop: useful, convenient, but not where you’d want every meal. When natural food is abundant, they’ll go with what nature intended. But don’t worry—they’re still checking in from time to time, especially if your feeder is clean and your sugar-to-water ratio is just right.

The comeback tour is coming.
As summer begins to fade, you’ll see your feeders become Grand Central Station again. Hummingbirds will return in big numbers to fuel up for their epic migration south. So keep those feeders clean and ready. It’s going to get busy.

And for the love of feathers, please read the comments. 🙂
Every year we write the same things, kindly and patiently, and every year folks skip the comments and write, “Mine are gone too.” Consider this post your friendly reminder that the birds aren’t gone. They’re just dining somewhere fancier for a bit.

In short: Don’t panic. Don’t take it personally. Your hummingbirds still love you (or at least your feeder). They’re just out enjoying the summer menu.

Now go sip some lemonade, watch the flowers, and maybe—just maybe—read the comments.

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Want to help spread the word? Share this post so we can all take a deep breath and stop accusing the hummingbirds of ghosting us.

#HummingbirdSeason #TheyreStillHere #TrustTheBlooms #NatureKnowsBest #ReadTheCommentsFirst