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It’s time to get your feeders out. The hummingbirds are here.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds were sighted across West Virginia last weekend, according to the website Hummingbird Central.
A map on their site called Spring Migration 2026, shows a line of birds heading north as part of their annual migration. There are sightings as far as Pittsburgh, as of Monday.
According to the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the earliest hummingbirds arrive as soon as April 1 after they leave the Gulf of Mexico. Weighing only about one tenth of an ounce, hummingbirds can travel as much as 600 miles on the journey.
And when they arrive, they are hungry. The DNR, and other groups, recommend a simple 1 part sugar to 3-4 parts water mixture and say to leave the red food dye out of it. It doesn’t help and may hurt the birds.
The DNR also said to remember to clean feeders every three to five days.
Planting red, tubular flowers such as columbine, trumpet vine, and petunias help attract them as well.