Many people are under the mistaken idea that their hummingbird feeders must be taken down on or around Labor Day, but this simply is not true. It is impossible to know how this incorrect information has become so widely believed but this post will hopefully help set the record straight on this issue.
It is important to understand that leaving your hummingbird feeder up will not stop the hummingbirds from migrating. A hummingbird’s body will signal when it is time for the bird to migrate due to changes in the length of the day or photoperiod. By leaving your hummingbird feeders up, for least two weeks or so since seeing your last hummingbird, you would be providing a vital food source for any birds that are late in migrating or those that can no longer survive the migratory journey due to illness or age or whatever the cause might be.
No matter where you live, it is impossible to provide an exact date by which hummingbird feeders should be taken down. This will very greatly due to where you live. As a general rule or guideline, it is not at all uncommon for many people leave their feeders up for at least two weeks after seeing a hummingbird. There are even places places in which people keep their hummingbird feeders up year round because not every single species of hummingbird migrates. Therefore, each of you will have to determine for yourselves when and if your hummingbird feeders should be taken down or not. Regardless of your decision concerning this matter, please know that doing so will not prevent the hummingbirds from migrating and also know that leaving your feeders up can actually serve to help the hummingbirds.