It's Been a Busy Fall

We've heard about it for years and we finally were able to attend the HummerBird Festival in Rockport, TX, this year. Rockport is on the flyway for hummingbirds heading back home. Parks in town have feeders and hummers are everywhere. This little guy was right by the gazebo in the park.

And of course, doing what we do (finding the strange), we hopped over to Corpus Christi and toured the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco on the way home.

In October we were fortunate to be invited to participate in the Best of Missouri Market at the Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. Then on to the Pink Palace Crafts Fair in Memphis, TN.

This month we've seen even MORE of Texas. We attended the Texas Butterfly Festival in Mission and then the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival in Harlingen. In between we popped over into Mexico for a little sight-seeing.

We are pleased to report that Ozarklake feeders can now be purchased at the gift shop in the Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum!

All that's left for this year is Fall Into Art in Columbia, MO, and then the Holiday Showcase in Little Rock, AR. We WILL find warmer weather, however, when we attend the Spacecoast Birding Festival in January in Florida :-)

Hummmingbird fact for today: A hummingbird's wings are articulated only at the shoulder and are anatomically closer to those of an insect than to those of any other bird.

Photo Book of Birds Using Our Feeders

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So Sad

It seems that our summer visitors have begun to leave us. There are fewer males, both hummers and orioles. Those still here are feeding like crazy though. The hummers try to double their body weight before they head south - that's a l-o-n-g journey for such tiny little birds!

The hummers seem to have a heightened need to guard their food source. This little bully guards from the front, from the rear, and seemed to win this particular battle!

Art in Bayfront Park in Duluth, MN, was a very nice show. The "breeze" coming off Lake Superior was a bit much at times, but the setting is beautiful. On our never-ending quest to find the odd and unique on our travels, we stopped at the Spam Museum in Austin, MN, and Deke Slayton and Bicycle Museum in Sparta, WI.

Our next show will be at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mount Vernon, IL. We haven't been to this show in several years and hope to see old friends while making new ones. Then we'll head off to the HummerBird Celebration in Rockport, TX. Rockport is on the flyway for the ruby-throated hummingbirds as they head south, so it should be quite fun. We'll miss our fellow artists at Silver Dollar City this fall, but we have new places to see!

Hummingbird fact for today: Leaving your feeder up does not prevent the migration of the hummingbirds. They migrate according to the change in light.

Hummers, Bees, and Essential Oil of Marigold

What a fantastic country we live in! After exhibiting at the High Desert Arts Festival in Eagle Nest, NM, we headed to the Hummingbird Festival in Sedona, AZ, by way of Colorado and Utah! We visited the Great Sand Dunes National Park, Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, and all points in between! Fabulous scenery! Fabulous people!

Thanks to helpful neighbors, we returned home to find our hummers and orioles fat and sassy. Feeder activity really picks up this time of year as the Ruby-throated hummers begin to fatten up in preparation for the long migration south. Unfortunately, bees are also finding the feeders. We tried numerous remedies to try to keep the bees away, and at long last have found one that works. Soak a cotton pad (similar to a cotton ball only flat, available in the beauty needs section of your favorite store) with Essential Oil of Marigold and place close to the nectar opening.

With our bottle feeders, I punch a hole in the pad and slip it over the feeding tube, positioning it just behind the red tip. With the tube feeders, I place it between the tube and the copper coil that the tube sets in. Be sure to NOT put the oil anyplace that the hummers might get it on their wings or their feet. Hummers have no sense of smell, but the overwhelming concentrated marigold scent tells the bees to stay away. You can order Essential Oil of Marigold from http://www.scentit.com/. The scent fades away, so keep it fresh to keep sending the message to those pesky bees. Bee traps also help keep down the population. I use the traps that you bait with juice, sugar, and raw meat. Bees go in and can't get out. This is a video I took today at the back of the studio.

People ask us if the birds use our feeders. Well, DUH!!! The near window has one bottle feeder, the glass door has 7 of our Onesie's, and the far window has one bottle feeder and two Onesie's. Watch the fighting over positioning and listen to the chatter as they fuss at one another. What fun!

Next weekend we will be at Art in Bayfront Park in Duluth, MN. This will be our first time in that part of the country and we're excited about going!

Hummingbird fact for today: The hummingbird is more than just beautiful. Its physical capabilities put the toughest human being to shame.

Never a quiet moment

Here's are two videos - random 30 seconds of both sides of the house/shop. Not sure if we have backyard birds and frontyard birds, or if they all go to all the feeders.

The Flock Has Increased

After a few relatively quiet weeks at the feeders, we now have much-increased activity. The most plausible explanation for this is that the first brood of hummers has come off the nests. So we've put out more feeders and we're making 2 gallons of nectar every couple of days. Our Baltimore and Orchard orioles are still around, but they are having to fight the darn sparrows for the jelly.

We'll be heading off to Eagle Nest, NM, and then Sedona, AZ, in just a couple of weeks. Both shows are inside (thank goodness) and provide an excellent road trip. The 2nd Annual Hummingbird Festival in Sedona will be the highlight of the trip. We had a great time last year in the company of so many hummingbird lovers!

Our summer has been relatively quiet, but the fall will keep us hopping for sure. We're ready to hit the road and see some more of this great country. Art in Bayfront Park in Duluth, MN, in mid-August will be new territory for us. And speaking of new territory, Ozarklake feeders can now be found at Wild Birds Unlimited in Hockessin, DE, and Tuscaloosa, AL.

Hummingbird fact for today: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/05/hummingbird-tongue-drinking/ It's VERY informative.

We have a winner

We attended the very first Peculiar Arts Festival in Peculiar, MO, five years ago. We went back this year for their 5th annual event. This is a very well run show. We were honored with a Purchase Award from the arts festival committee.

We also very much enjoyed their music, including the Krazy Kats. The Kats have been together since 1957 and although they move a bit slower and have gray hair, their sound is still pretty darn good!

Activity at our hummingbird feeders has slowed down quite a bit. That is common this time of year as mom is sitting the eggs. Once hatched, mom will concentrate on a protein diet to feed the youngsters. We will have lots of activity at the oriole feeders. There are at least 3 male Baltimore's and 4 male orchard's that visit frequently. Plenty of females, too, but not sure which are Baltimore orioles and which are orchard orioles.

We will be at the Wild Birds Unlimited trade conference later this month in Indianapolis. This will be a first - both with WBU and a large trade show. With over 250 franchise store owners in North America, we are hoping to make in-roads with many of them.

Our next "big" gig will be High Country Arts Festival in Eagle Nest, NM, followed by the Hummingbird Festival in Sedona, AZ. September and October will be kind of crazy, with shows nearly every weekend. Keeping busy with the feeders keeps us out of trouble and the plus is that we get to see a lot of our great country.

Hummingbird fact for today: Hummingbirds reject flower types that produce nectar that is less than 10% sugar.