Steve Backes has been a birder, well, forever, it seems. But he became hyper-focused on hummingbirds many years ago. Now, he and his wife, Debbie, are devoting themselves to creating a haven for these tiny, winged jewels. Their efforts have even attracted a researcher who has continually visited Backes home to check on the hummingbirds for over two decades.
Hummingbirds in Floirda
Hummingbirds, Backes said, seem to find birders’ yards and his is no exception. He has filled it with feeders and with flowers that provide nectar to the hummers. The yard is divided into territories to support as many migrants as possible. Since hummingbirds are extremely territorial, the divisions in the yard are key to getting more than one or two.
Hummingbirds migrate from the Pacific Northwest on their way to Central America, but many stop along the way, sometimes for months at a time. And they tend to return. Backes has one hummer who has returned five years in a row, another for three years, and another twice.
“I wanted to do what I could to draw them to my yard,” he said. “That is when I started trying to get the word out to garden groups and birding groups and got really focused. It became my mission in life.”
Backes has since started a Facebook page called Hummingbirds in Florida which birders can join to find out the latest on where the birds are showing up and what type of habitat is working best for them.
Furthering hummingbird research
In 2002, two years after the Backes’ purchased their house in Valrico, a somewhat rare rufous hummingbird appeared in the yard. That is when he decided to track down researcher Fred Bassett and convince him to come for a visit. “He caught three different species, five birds in my yard. I just continued to make it an annual event after that.”
Just a few days ago, Bassett returned to the Valrico yard for the 21st year. Successfully banding several ruby-throated hummingbirds amid the colorful salvia, fire bush, and citrus.
Bassett formed Hummingbird Research Inc., a 501©3 nonprofit to promote hummingbird conservation through research and education. He has banded 1,598 wintering hummingbirds in Florida and Alabama since 1997.
The bands Bassett places on the birds allow him to get to know individual birds. It is advantageous to know they are coming back to the same spot time after time and helps avian researchers understand their needs at wintering sites.
His ground-breaking research was documented in “Wintering hummingbirds in Alabama and Florida: species diversity, sex and age ratios, and site fidelity,” a scientific paper coauthored with Doreen Cubie and published in the June 2009 issue of the Journal of Field Ornithology, a peer-reviewed publication.
On his website, Bassett says “hummer hosts” like Backes are a critical part of such research.
Video taken from Backes Facebook page. This is from Bassett’s last visit.
Creating a hummingbird haven
While Backes typically gets about 10 hummingbirds in his yard each winter, he had 20 visit one year. “There will be birds two doors down who come and roam my yard to feed.”
The feeders are particularly helpful when the weather is cold, he said. “When all the flowers die, the birds are still looking for nectar. And I always bump up the number of feeders and space them out in case there is a bird looking for a new territory.”
While the hummers will fight over territory, many will eventually agree to share. “I create an area where there are flowers, a shrub to rest in and an area where they can look out over their territory, and a feeder. They know this is enough to keep them healthy and they will not fight with the other birds.”
Backes maintains 15-20 feeders in winter. “If they can suck down a full gut of sugar water, it gives them a good shot of energy.” It is important to keep the feeders clean to avoid mold and fungus that can impact the birds, he said.
Related: Florida Young Birders Club Seeking Members Throughout the Area
“This is high season for hummingbirds in my area,” Backes said. “This is the season that you get others besides ruby throats, including rufous, black-chinned and calliope hummingbirds.
Some hummingbirds are known to nest at the Buckhorn Golf Course in Valrico. And in FishHawk Ranch, in southeastern Hillsborough County.
It is the rare species that draw birders to his place, Backes said. But he also gets photographers want to come just for the opportunity to photograph any hummingbird. Backes is getting requests from people who just want to see the yard and figure out how they can duplicate his hummer success. “I welcome anyone who wants to come. And I have got too many plants, so I am also happy to share them. Once I post on Facebook, I get a lot of people showing up.”
Want to learn more about creating your own hummingbird haven? The easiest way to contact Backes is through his Facebook page.
