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

Hummingbirds are synonymous with spring, and for many New Hampshire gardeners and bird watchers used to temperamental New England weather, looking out the window to see these hardworking pollinators hovering over the flower bed 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, including in New Hampshire. With a healthy population, hummingbirds are more common now in the Granite State than they were in the 1970s, according to the New Hampshire Audubon.

But first they have to get here.

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

Track hummingbirds as they migrate to New Hampshire

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 Wednesday, the birds have not yet been reported in New Hampshire.

Last year, they arrived in Portsmouth during the last week of April.

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 for the Rhode Island Audobon, 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.