What's Up With the Wandering Hummers?

According to the Morning Sun, a newspaper in Mt. Pleasant, MI, a rufous hummingbird was seen this week in that part of Michigan. That's pretty amazing since rufous hummers usually hang out between Washington and Alaska. The sighting was documented by a hummingbird researcher.

For the second year in a row, an Allen's hummer was at a feeder near Knoxville, TN, in October. This was verifiable because last year the little bird was banded while in Tennessee. Allen's hummers have a very small, narrow, breeding range along the cloud-shrouded Pacific coast from southern Oregon to southern California. They have both a migratory race that winters in a small area in central Mexico and a non-migratory race that winters in California. So why is this bird in Tennessee?

In the last two months more than 60 western stray hummers have been found in Pennsylvania according to the Lehigh Valley website. Most sightings have been rufous hummingbirds that breed from the Pacific Northwest up into Alaska but there have also been three surprise species, all three of which have been found in the southeastern part of the state. A Calliope was in a backyard near Philadelphia, then on Nov. 10 a black-chinned hummingbird spent one day in a yard north of Levittown, and this week there is an Allen's in a yard near Pipersville in Bucks County.

Is it that there is a shuffling or ranges within the hummingbird world? All of these areas are in the normal ruby-throated hummingbird summer habitat. Or are we just becoming more aware of hummers? Imagine the thrill of seeing a "foreign" species in your yard outside the regular "season". What fun!

Hummingbird fact for today: Never say ALWAYS or NEVER when talking about hummingbirds!

Home Again Home Again

We are finally home again! Now we have to unpack and put away EVERYTHING - from the inventory we made while at Silver Dollar City to all the tools and supplies we had to take to make inventory to all the clothes and housewares we had to take to live away from home for 7 weeks.

We are SO greatful to Laura Koerbel for taking good care of Ozzy and Izzie, bringing in the mail, and being a neighbor and friend who goes above and beyond the call!

Two holiday shopping shows yet to do. Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield is Nov. 10-11. Then State Fair Community College in Sedalia on Dec. 1. But already we're submitting applications and hoping to get into the shows we'd like to do.

We WILL be back at the Hummingbird Festival in Sedona, AZ, the first weekend in August!!!

Silver Dollar City - Just One More Week

We've been at this for six weeks now, and there's one week left. Must confess, we're ready for it to be over. Yes, we meet a lot of awfully nice people who are genuinely interested in learning all they can about hummingbirds, who enjoy their hummers throughout the summer, and who appreciate the work we put into making our art. BUT there are also some really inconsiderate, mis-informed, know-it-all's out there. For instance, the question of the day today was, "Do you know where you get your stoppers?" Well, of course we do. We are the ones who get them. And no, we're not going to tell you where we get them because you just bought a house with "at least 100 bottles in the basement" that you think you can turn into feeders if only we will provide you with the information so that you can. A photographer friend loves this question, "Were you there when you took these pictures?" And another artist friend loses it with this question, "Can I ask you a dumb question?" Sure. Go ahead. We're here to please.

Went home about a month ago and our hummer population was down from over three dozen to just two individuals. Then when we went home last, no sign of hummer activity at all. They are off to warmer surroundings for the winter and lordy how we miss them!

Spending time with other artists, we have been able to add quite a few pieces to our hummingbird art collection. One artist, who did his first ever hummer painting for us, joked that in a few years the BOMH artists at Silver Dollar City would be the BOMH Hummingbird Artists. So much talent in Missouri and thank goodness we have the opportunity to own some of their fantastic pieces! And thank goodness they are willing to accommodate our hummingbird "jones".

Hummingbird fact for today: Hummers do NOT fly south on the backs of geese. Geese don't go to the same locales and fly way too high for hummers to withstand the altitude. Hummers fly individually, just above tree-top level so they can feed along the way.

Best of Missouri Hands at Silver Dollar City

The National Harvest Festival runs September 13 through October 27 at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO (park is closed Mon. and Tues.). Inside the Frisco Barn you will find work by Best of Missouri Hands artists and artisans. Some pieces will be on display as part of the Best of Missouri Art Faire. You will also find working artists, creating their pieces right before your very eyes. Demonstrating craftsmen change throughout the Festival. Check this schedule for specific BOMH artists and the dates you can find them "in residence".

We still have hummers and Baltimore orioles, although the herd seems to be thinning a bit. It appears there are fewer males, and the remaining birds are fattening up for the long journey home. The orioles should be heading south soon, with the hummers following shortly thereafter. It's always a bit sad to look out the window and not see our busy little summer visitors.

Wild Birds Unlimited in Conroe, TX, now has Ozarklake feeders in their inventory. We're hoping to hear from a lot of the WBU stores now that we have been approved as a supplier by the national WBU organization.

Hummingbird fact for today:  Hummingbirds will NOT delay migration if a feeder is present; they are driven by forces more powerful than hunger.

And even more hummers!

While all the activity is happening at the feeders on the front porch, this activity is happening at the feeders on the studio, about 30 feet down the hill from the porch and facing the opposite direction. It seems to be a good year for hummers around here!

We have LOTS of hummers!

What a Summer!

We've traveled quite a bit this summer. We just returned from a trip that took us through Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Colorado. We saw the effects of this extremely hot and dry summer everywhere we went. Farmers and ranchers are suffering now, and I fear we will all feel the effects later on when we go to the grocery store and when the electric companies raise rates to make up for the high useage with air conditioners running continuously.

This may also explain the heavy, heavy activity we have at the hummingbird feeders - there's simply nothing out there for the birds to eat. Or maybe it's just that our lazy birds prefer the ease of sipping from a feeder. Whatever the cause, the activity is totally amazing. Terrie's nieces stayed at the house while we were gone to keep the feeders filled, and even they (who had never seen a hummer before) are now taken with these amazing creatures. Both girls were able to hand-feed them!

Our first stop was the 30th Annual High Country Arts and Crafts Festival held in Eagle Nest, New Mexico, July 28-29. Sponsored by the Eagle Nest Chamber of Commerce, the High Country Arts and Crafts Festival is a proud tradition of juried talent that brings many area and out-of-state artists to the Moreno Valley area each summer. Located on the Enchanted Circle between Angel Fire and Red River, Eagle Nest is surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and is home to the beautiful Eagle Nest Lake. Each of the more than 70 attending artists selected one piece to be judged in one of the four recognized categories. My multiple-station hummingbird feeder was awarded First Place in the Craft and Fiber Art Category. There was even a cash prize in addition to the blue ribbon!

We toured parts of New Mexico and Colorado before heading on to Sedona, AZ, where The Hummingbird Society hosted the first Sedona Hummingbird Festival. Executive Director Ross Hawkins and an extremely dedicated cast of volunteers did an amazing job of organizing and promoting this festival. We didn't have a chance to attend any of the seminars or presentations since we were a vendor in the Hummingbird Mall, but every report we heard was that this was THE HIGHLIGHT for hummingbird lovers. We're already making plans to attend the 2nd Annual Hummingbird Festival!

A bonus to being in Sedona was that Terrie re-connected with some old high school friends. Even Terrie's mom joined us and it was a thrill for this former Girl Scout leader to see some of her girls all grown up. And in Ozarklake news, our feeders can now be purchased at Dorine Daniels in the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village, 336 State Route 179, Sedona AZ.

We're doing a local event here at the Lake on Saturday, and then it's on to Trails West in St. Joseph, MO. Shortly after that we'll head off to Silver Dollar City and the National Harvest Festival.

Hummingbird fact for today: Hummingbirds are the world's second largest family of birds with an estimated 328 species.