Migration watch: Hummingbirds have landed in Will County
Get your hummingbird feeders out, bird lovers. Hummingbirds have arrived in northern Illinois, and you might see them showing up your feeders any day now — if you haven't seen them already.
You can follow along on the hummingbirds' migratory journey thanks to two citizen science projects: Hummingbird Central and Journey North. We haven't seen Will County sightings on either map just yet, but we did get confirmation that they've been seen in Will County through our Will County Wildlife Facebook group, with someone posting a video of a hummingbird at a feeder in Channahon on April 12.
Their arrival is right about on scheduled for the tiny birds. Generally, we start seeing hummingbirds in Will County around the middle of April, and they should be here in full force by May. The hummingbird feeders in the bird-feeding area at the Forest Preserve's Plum Creek Nature Center are put out on April 15 each year to ensure any early-arriving birds have a source of nectar.
Keep in mind that ruby-throated hummingbirds will migrate all the way up into Canada, so even if you spot one locally, that doesn't mean that particular bird is going to be sticking around. Instead, it may just be making a pit stop.
While you wait for their arrival in your yard, go ahead and enjoy these hummingbird videos.