Some Weekend Bird Events

Two things coming up this weekend.

Saturday, 10 December, 8 AM - 9:00 (or 9:30, if we're seeing good birds). Lake Arrowhead State Park Bird Walk. Park entry fees apply. Meet at the firewood shed/dump station in the first campground on your left. (Take second left, first right, on left--look for the black pick up). I suggest you dress warm.

Saturday, 10 December,  11:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Owl Be Home for Christmas. At Wild Birds Unlimited. Meet the some of the educational birds from Wild Bird Rescue. A $30 donation to Wild Bird Rescue will get you a $15 gift certificate to Wild Birds Unlimited. A win-win!

Just as a reminder, don't forget the Christmas Bird Count on December 17.

Good birding!

Local Bird Events Coming Up

I received an email this morning from Katherine Smith of Wild Birds Unlimited of Wichita Falls with some upcoming bird-related events happening in the local area, reminding me I needed to get the word out. You wouldn't think I need that reminder as I am involved with most of them, but apparently that's the case.

Saturday, September 13, 8:00 AM: Bird Walk at Lake Arrowhead State Park. Meet at the firewood shed in the middle of the first campground on your left. There is a $3 entry fee to the park. Shorebird migration is in full swing, so I would expect us to see some good birds.

Saturday, September 13, 10:00 AM: Bird Program at Wild Bird Rescue, 4611 Lake Shore Drive. There is no admission, although donations are always appreciated. Chris will have either hawks or owls and will give an informative talk on their beautiful birds. This is the first of a continuing series of programs at  Wild Bird Rescue. Here is a list of the programs scheduled so far, as well as one or two special events happening at the Center:

Sat., Sept. 13, 10 a.m.

Sun., Sept. 14, 1 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 11, 10 a.m.

Sun., Oct. 12, 7:30 – 10:30 a.m. – The Big Sit Bird Count

       1 p.m. – Feeding your Winter Birds

Sat., Nov. 8, 10 a.m.

Sun., Nov. 9, 1 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 13, 10 a.m.

Sun., Dec. 14, 1 p.m. – Birds in Christmas Traditions

Thurs., Jan. 1 – Big Day for Wild Bird Rescue team birding competition and fund raiser

Sat., Jan. 10, 10 a.m.

Sun., Jan. 11, 1 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 14, 10 a.m.

Sun., Feb. 15, 1 p.m. – Birds in Love; Interesting Mating Behavior in Birds

Sat., March 14, 10 a.m.

Sun., March 15, 1 p.m.

Sat., April 11, 10 a.m.

Sun., April 12, 1 p.m. – Wildscaping your Yard to Benefit the Birds

Sat., May 9, 10 a.m.

Sun., May 10, 1 p.m.

Saturday, September 13, Noon, Wild Birds Unlimited Store: This is the one year anniversary of the Wild Birds Unlimited store opening in its Market Street location. There will be a big sale Friday - Sunday, but on Saturday, beginning at approximately noon, I will have some birds from Wild Bird Rescue to meet the customers. I expect to be there for about 2 hours.

The North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club will have their meeting at the Wild Birds Unlimited store at 7 PM on Tuesday, September 16. Katherine Smith will be showing pictures from her recent birdwatching trip to Peru.

Don't forget the trip to the Hummingbird Festival in Rockport, TX, September 17 - 21. Some people have dropped out at the last minute, so you can probably still get a seat on the bus, departing Thursday morning. I for one, am looking forward to the trip.

On Tuesday, September 23, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM, there will be a Pollinator Workshop at River Bend Nature Center. Did you know that some bird species pollinate wildflowers? Well, they do. Come learn about providing good habitat for the birds and other pollinator species. Free.

If you would prefer to just get out and go birding, Lake Wichita has had some awesome numbers of shorebirds passing through on migration. Since I am taking part in almost all of the programs listed here, I plan to take a couple of hours Friday morning to head out to the spillway with a scope to check out the shorebirds.

Good birding!

Upcoming Bird Events

Chimney swift nestlings at Wild Bird Rescue

We're coming into migration season again, so birding will be especially good the next couple of months (if it will just rain, it could be great.)

Here are some upcoming bird-related events you don't want to miss:

- Saturday, March 8, 8:00 AM: Bird walk at Lake Arrowhead State Park. First campground on the left after you enter the park (which is the 2nd left turn). We meet at the firewood shed. Park admission applies.
- Tuesday, March 18, 7:00 PM: North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club. National Association of Letter Carriers. 5310 Southwest Parkway (next to Wichita Valley nursery.)
- Sunday, March 23, 10:30 AM: Wild Birds Unlimited will have birding expert, Joe LeFleur lead a bird walk to help learn to identify birds.
- Sunday, March 23, 12:00: Mr. LaFleur will give a talk in the store at Wild Birds Unlimited.
- Saturday, March 29, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Wild Bird Rescue Open House. Baby shower to kick off baby season. This is the only day of the year the facility is open to the public for tours, so come on out! Lite refreshments will be available and the Avian Ambassadors will be on hand. The public is encouraged to attend and to donate a wish list item or cash to this worthy organization. Gift shop items, to include a new T-shirt featuring Stevie, the great horned owl, will be available.

I hope you can attend one or more of these events.

Good birding!

Big Day, Saturday!

Saturday, January 4 is the Big Day for Wild Bird Rescue! This year, we have two teams competing against one another for the most species found and the most money raised.

Team 1 is the team that has birded in the past: me, Brady Surber, Rick Folkening and Katherine Smith. Team 2 is a new entry this year made up of Sue and Warren King and Chuck Thuesen. These teams will be vying for bragging rights and hoping to raise money to give Wild Bird Rescue a much-needed financial shot in the arm. Know one of these people? If so, consider making a donation to WBR in their honor--be sure to note "Big Day" in the memo of the check or comments field in paypal. Wild Birds Unlimited of Wichita Falls will donate a prize to all donors/sponsors.

You can follow the teams' progress through Twitter by following @birdwithpenny or watching the Twitter feed on this blog. You can also see periodic updates on the Wild Bird Rescue Facebook page. The goal is 100 species. The weather is supposed to be good, so it's possible one of the teams could make it this year.

Good birding!

Trying to Shop for a Birdwatcher?

Every once in a while I try to help those who have birdwatchers on their Christmas lists by providing some ideas. I don't do this every year, but if you want to go back through some previous lists, here is the link to the 2009 blog post and the 2011 blog post. They are still perfectly valid and I promise your birding family members and friends will love the gift. Since both of these posts are extensive, I won't go back through all of the ideas, but instead focus on a few newer choices.

Although I have reviewed several books this year, here are my suggestions for some newly published bird books your birding friend may very well not have: The Warbler Guide and The Crossley Guide: Raptors. There are other fine books out there, but these two are a cut above.

If you have people on your list who are trying to improve their field birding skills, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has some excellent webinars for a relatively low cost. They also have some other, more intensive courses that are more expensive. For a variety of learning opportunities, check out their website. I've taken some of these courses myself. A Cornell membership would be welcomed by most birders--the recipient would get a beautiful magazine as part of their membership and have the opportunity to participate in several citizen science activities if they are interested.

Wild Birds Unlimited in Wichita Falls also has some nice gifts: High quality T-shirts, books, binoculars, feeders and birdseed would be welcome gifts.

For the birder with everything, I would again recommend a donation to a birding organization. Wild Bird Rescue is always in need of monetary donations, especially to support their Avian Ambassador program. Who wouldn't want to sponsor a hawk or an owl?

Good luck with your Christmas shopping!

Good birding!

An Excellent Big Sit

Turkey Vulture in Flight (Photo: Geoff Gallice, Wikimedia Commons)

More people participated in the Big Sit on Sunday morning than we have ever had--we had a total of 11 people who came at one time or another.  Peggy Browning (who wrote Saturday's article about the Big Sit in the Times Record News), Tami Davis, Jim Hensley, Sue King, Warren King, Terry McKee, June McKee, Chris Peterson, Katherine Smith, and Chuck Thueson watched birds with me from 7:30 - 10:00 AM.

We thought this would be a lackluster year because of the drought and predicted rain. The location of the Big Sit, behind Wild Bird Rescue has been dry for a while and is now a good distance from any water. We did not have nearly the number of ducks and shorebirds we could have because the birds were too far to positively identify, even with a scope. However, in spite of that, we did have a very good count. The weather was also very pleasant, although none of us would have been upset if it had been pouring rain.

One of the highlights of the morning included a continuous series of kettles of migrating turkey vultures. A total of 147 vultures passed overhead during the 2.5 hours we were observing. The sight was even more impressive given that the vultures don't take to the air until later in the morning when they can catch a good updraft.

Another highlight was the sighting of 4 species of woodpeckers. Usually we are lucky to find one or two species. We had a red-bellied woodpecker, two northern flickers, a pair of downy woodpeckers and a hairy woodpecker, a less common woodpecker.

Altogether we 29 species--not bad considering the conditions and the limited time the Sit took place. We did have some birds we were not able to identify for one reason or another (usually too short of a view or poor lighting.)

Here is a complete listing of birds seen:

Canada goose
White pelican
Northern shoveler
Great blue heron
Greater yellowlegs
Long-billed dowitcher
Double-crested cormorant
American avocet
Killdeer
Turkey vulture
Downy woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker
Red-bellied woodpecker
Northern flicker
White-winged dove
Mourning dove
Rock pigeon
American robin
Scissor-tailed flycatcher
Yellow warbler
Northern mockingbird
Northern cardinal
Blue jay
Ruby-crowned kinglet
European starling
Eastern meadowlark
Red-winged blackbird
Great-tailed grackle
House finch

Many thanks to Katherine Smith of Wild Birds Unlimited for donating a goodie bag to all of the participants.

All in all, a great morning.

Good birding!

Upcoming Events to Help Wild Bird Rescue

As most readers know, Wild Bird Rescue, Inc. is a local charity with a two-fold mission:
  - To rescue, rehabilitate and release wild birds
  - To educate the public on wild birds and wild bird issues

This has been a very busy year for the organization. So far this year, the organization has cared for nearly 1200 birds. In addition, 2012 saw the completion of a raptor aviary and a shorebird aviary, allowing Wild Bird Rescue to keep more types of birds. The organization also ramped up its education programs by keeping more raptors for programs.

Between more birds overall, more costly birds to keep and the number of education birds, the costs have also increased. Wild Bird Rescue still operates with just one paid staff member. Regardless, the coffers are empty. The organization has had a few fundraisers lately and three more are planned. If you can help by supporting one of these fundraisers, please do.

• Saturday, October 13: PAWS It Forward to benefit Wild Bird Rescue. Wild Birds Unlimited is hosting a fundraiser at Smith's Gardentown on Saturday, October 13, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM. Donate $25 to Wild Bird Rescue and receive a $20 coupon for Wild Birds Unlimited products. Rusty, one of Wild Bird Rescue's avian ambassadors will be on hand periodically during the day.
• Sunday, October 14: Big Sit, 7:30 AM - 10:00 AM. The Big Sit is a national event--rather like a birders' tailgate party. Birder's sit inside a 17-foot circle and count all of the birds they can identify. This year, to assist Wild Bird Rescue the North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club has pledged $1/species. Anyone is welcome to participate in the Big Sit, whether for a few minutes or for the entire scheduled time. This is a great way for new birders to learn about birds or those with mobility issues to participate. So bring a lawn chair, binoculars and dress in layers.
• Sunday, November 25: Big Day for WBR. This is a marathon birding event with a team (or possibly multiple teams) birding from 7 AM - 7 PM, attempting to find as many species of birds possible. Wild Bird Rescue is looking for sponsors (individuals, groups, or businesses) to pledge on a per species basis or a flat amount. Last year the team found 98 species. This year the goal is 100 species. If you would like to sponsor, contact Wild Bird Rescue at 940-691-0828 or email me at txbirds@gmail.com. You can also make a donation through PayPal on Wild Bird Rescue's website. If you would like to participate on a team, contact me. Just remember, this is a marathon event, with non-stop birding. We'll be driving a couple of hundred miles and likely walking quite a bit. The team will be posting their progress on Facebook and on Twitter throughout the day. You can follow the team by following me at @birdwithpenny or by watching the Twitter feed on this blog.

Of course, personal donations to the organization in any amount would be appreciated, whether or not they are connected with any of these events.

Good birding!

Local News for Bird People

Several small snippets of information for local people interested in birds:

• The next bird walk at Lake Arrowhead State Park will be this Saturday, September 8, 7:00 AM. We'll meet as usual in the first camp ground on the left by the firewood shed. This is the last month we'll be meeting this early until next Spring. Over the fall/winter, we'll switch to 8 AM. But for this month, set your alarm and be there shortly after sunrise.
• Wild Bird Rescue, Inc. is recruiting for a new Executive Director. If you or anyone you know might be interested, contact WBR at 940-691-0828.
• Wild Birds Unlimited in Smith's Gardentown is looking for a part-time person for their store.
• The Wild Bird Rescue garage sale is September 15. If you have items to donate (no clothing please) call 940-691-0828 to arrange for drop off. You will be able to drop off items on September 14 at the National Association of Letter Carriers building on Southwest Parkway from 9 AM - 4 PM.
• We're recruiting for the next Wild Bird Rescue Big Day fundraiser. If you like to bird and have the stamina for a 12-hour birdathon, contact me at txbirds@gmail.com or call me at 940-867-9761. Right now, we're looking at the Sunday following Thanksgiving.

Good birding!

Christmas Bird Count December 17

Picture of me checking a sparrow ID during the CBC by E.B. Hawley.

We had a good day on the Christmas Bird Count yesterday. It started out a little chilly with temperatures in the uppers 20's, but since there was no wind, it was a nice morning. It warmed into the low 50's by the afternoon.

We divide our count circle into thirds and have different groups cover each one in order to get good coverage of the area. I have the Lake Wichita area. Sue and Warren King and Elizabeth Hawley started the day with me, covering the area on foot from the spillway, along the dam, around the barrow pit and down the chat trail in Lake Wichita Park.  The highlights from this section of the count were 3 rock wrens (I think the first rock wrens of a Christmas Bird Count in our area, although they have been sighted in the area before) and 10 wood ducks.

My chat trail and barrow pit let me down during the count. I have been having excellent results lately at both places. On the day of the count, although we had some decent birds, we didn't get the variety of ducks I  have been seeing lately on the barrow pit, and we didn't get the numbers of species or birds I sometimes get on the trail. Oh well, if the birds were a sure thing, there wouldn't be nearly the challenge. We did see an albino Canada goose in a flock that flew overhead. Elizabeth Hawley got a good picture (see below.)

They then left for other activities, and I conducted the driving portion of the count, as well as Camp Stonewall Jackson near Holliday, TX. Stonewall Jackson is normally a great place for woodpeckers and the little birds like brown creepers, nuthatches, titmice and sparrows. It was pretty much a bust yesterday, except for some eastern bluebirds, which are very common there.

After 7 1/2 hours of birding, I went  home to make dessert for the count supper. Jimmy and Jeannette Hoover were once again kind enough to open their home for a pot luck spaghetti dinner and compiling the count numbers from the three teams into one report. Katherine Smith of Smith's Gardentown Wild Birds Unlimited store donated goodie bags for the count participants--always nice to have more feeders to fill up (good marketing, Katherine!)

I am waiting for the official count results--I'll post them when I get them from the count compiler, Debra Halter. I imagine that will be later in the week.

Good birding!

Project Feederwatch Starts Tomorrow!

One of my favorite winter activities, Project Feederwatch, starts tomorrow. I have been cleaning additional feeders this morning and need to make my pilgrimage to Wild Birds Unlimited later today to stock up on food. I just received my November coupon and another 10 Bird Bucks in the mail so the hit on my checkbook won't be quite as bad.

I keep up 2 platform feeders all summer with a nectar feeder for the hummingbirds. This morning I cleaned a tube feeder, a peanut feeder, a suet feeder and a hopper feeder. I am taking down the nectar feeder--I haven't had anyone local mention having hummingbirds for a few weeks now, so I am assuming they are all south of us now. If any show, I do have some blooming plants still.

I did say last year I would let you all know if the Wild Birds Unlimited Daily Saver's Card actually saved me any money, and it appears it did. I don't care to pay a membership fee for savings cards, but decided to check it out. I saved about $60 over and above the price of the membership with the card, so will renew it. Of course, whether the investment is worth it depends upon how much you buy. Today, I get a free suet cake. One can never have too many of those!

Whether you participate in Project Feederwatch or not (and I hope you do), now is the time to clean your feeders and get them ready for the colder weather if you haven't done so already.

Good birding!

Last Week to Sign Up for Costa Rica Tour

This is the last week to sign up for the Wild Birds Unlimited (Smith's Gardentown) Costa Rica tour. I didn't make the tour last year since I had already taken a big trip in 2010, but I heard about it from some other folks and was jealous. They saw some great birds. This year the trip is scheduled during the time my first grand baby is due. As much as I love birdwatching, the grand baby comes first. Maybe next time.

But if you are interested in making the trip, the deadline to sign up is September 30.

Good birding!

Daily Savings Club at Wild Bird Unlimited

I'm not into selling things on this blog, but I know some of the readers are members of the Daily Savings Club at Wild Birds Unlimited, Smith's Gardentown. Well, this week they have double points for Savings Club members. If like me, you need to stock up on some seed, this would be a good week to go.

I was just thinking this AM that I was going to have to go get some food--the gluttons are going through the seed. Even though I only have one feeder going right now, I have lots of visitors.

Good birding!

Another Chance to Visit Costa Rica

Last year, Wild Birds Unlimited arranged a birding trip to Costa Rica. Since I had just taken a long vacation, I had to pass it up. Well, they are going again and this time I am having my first grandbaby right at the time the trip starts, so I will miss it AGAIN! Seems I am snake bit.

I saw the pictures from the last trip and talked to some of the folks who went, and it sounds like the birding trip of a lifetime.

Here's a link to the flyer with more information. You can also contact Katherine Smith at katherine@smithsgardentown.com. Wish I was going.

Good Birding!

Costa Rica Program a Hit

We had a nice turnout at the North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club meeting last night for a program on Birds of Costa Rica. It certainly made me jealous--this is my #1 birding wish list location.

Katherine Smith of Wild Birds Unlimited is planning another trip, possibly this fall. If you have a chance to go, do it.

Good birding!

Birds of Costa Rica Presentation

Interested in learning more about the birds of Costa Rica? Katherine Smith of Wild Birds Unlimited will be speaking to the North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club on Tuesday, February 15 about some of the birds seen on last fall's trip to Costa Rica. There will be a slide presentation and light refreshments, courtesy of club members.

The North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club meets Tuesday, Feb 15, at 7PM at the NALC Building on Southwest Parkway, next door to Wichita Valley Nursery.

Hope to see you there!

Good birding!

Bird Feeding Workshop Tomorrow

I have been remiss. I thought I posted this event earlier in the week, but apparently not.

Wild Birds Unlimited at Smith's Gardentown is hosting a workshop on feeding wild birds, Saturday, November 20 (tomorrow) at 10:00 AM at their Wild Birds Unlimited store on Seymour Highway. Come learn about the foods that will attract birds to your yard.

The workshop is free and open to the public. Missi, the avian ambassador for Wild Bird Rescue, is expected to drop by for a short time as well.

Good birding!

Stocking Up

Although it isn't quite Feederwatch season, I usually have a feeder up all year. In a couple of weeks, when Project Feederwatch starts, it will be more like 10 feeders. I was completely out of bird food (except suet cakes) so I had to stock up.

I went down to Wild Bird's Unlimited at Smith's Gardentown. A little pricier, but high quality food. Many birders go for the cheap stuff like below. You can buy this seed very inexpensively, but don't.

How do you tell which seed to buy? If you're buying a mixed seed, choose one with as little milo as possible (see the round brown seeds in the picture to the left? That's milo.)

Milo is cheap and relatively light and large, so it is a good filler. However, the birds don't care for it much. If you have a lot of milo in your seed mix, you may think the birds love it because it disappears so quickly. What is happening is the birds are digging through the seed, throwing out the milo and picking out the good stuff they like. You end up with a lot of seed on the ground, leading to mold (unhealthy), more food to attract mice and rats, and relatively little of the seed going into your birds' stomachs. I'm not saying birds don't eat any of the milo; if they are very hungry and food is scarce in the middle of the winter, they will eat more of it. I'm just saying if I am going to spend money on bird food, I want it to end up in their stomachs, not on the ground.

I suggest if you are not familiar with the mix you are buying, try to buy food in a bag you can see some of the mix to evaluate the amount of milo and choose the mix with the least. Atwoods on Loop 11 has a reasonably good mix for a good price, if you want to spend less money. When I am going through tons of mix in the winter, I often do buy some to keep the hit on my wallet down.

Anyway, I went to Wild Birds Unlimited as they have a 15% off sale on bird food until October 31 and got black oil sunflower, millet and peanuts without the shell. I decided to try out the Savers Card for $25, figuring I would save that much over the course of the feeder season. That got me an additional 5% off on the food on sale. That was nearly an additional $6. Since I am predisposed toward not liking to pay for a savers card, I am going to keep a spreadsheet to see if the card is worth the money and will let you know when I at least break even. You can see my haul to the left--the expensive bit was the bag of peanuts. But that one bag will likely be the only one I will need to buy this year.

I also started my Christmas shopping. Wild Birds Unlimited has some really cute bird Christmas ornaments that are very inexpensive as well as other gift ideas for the birders on your shopping list. If you know a birder and are stumped for gift ideas, email me at txbirds@gmail.com or wait for an upcoming post with gift ideas and links.

Anyway, time to unload, fill up the two feeders I am running right now, and then back to the workday (sigh.)

Good birding!

North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club Meeting

The North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club met at Wild Birds Unlimited (Smith's Gardentown) tonight and heard about some new products for bird lovers. Many thanks to Bill from Smith's for his time and interest.

A couple of the products I found most interesting were a new easy clean feeder with anti-microbial properties and well as a product called Feeder Fresh which is to help keep feed dry in the feeders. Both sound like good products to discourage molds and other noxious things that cause disease among birds. And anything that makes a feeder easier to clean is a good thing.

For those of us who buy large quantities of bird food each year, the Daily Savings Club may be an option to consider. I am generally opposed to things I have to pay to join, unless I am sure I can get all of my money back and then some. In this case, the Daily Savings Club is $25 annually but has many benefits. Stop by the store and look into it--whether it is a good deal for you depends upon how much feed you buy.

Bill gave out some samples of the no mess feed and bark butter to an appreciative bunch of birders. I know my samples will be put to good use.

Smiths is now an authorized dealer for Tilley hats--a great favorite of outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds.

There are still some openings on the Costa Rica trip in November, so if you're interested, be sure to sign up soon.

Good birding!

Birding Trip to Costa Rica

Katherine at Wild Bird's Unlimited (Smith's Gardentown) sent me a flyer for a birding trip to Costa Rica she has arranged for November. I wish I could go--this is on my bucket list of birding places, but this year isn't in the cards.

The trip is 4 - 14 November. A deposit of $350 is required to make a reservation; the balance is due in August. Price per person (not including air fare) is $2495 (single)/$1975 (double). She can accept only 18 more people.

If interested, contact Katherine Smith at 940-733-2423. She'll send you the flyer as well as lists of birds you can expect to see at the various stops.

Good birding!

Beautiful Weekend, Wet Monday

You'd know that since I had to spend most of the weekend inside, the weather would be gorgeous. However, the Home and Garden Show was a treat. I very much enjoyed attending the program, "Uncommon Facts About Common Backyard Birds," by John Schaust, Chief Naturalist for Wild Birds Unlimited. What a job!

Anyway, John took the top 20 feeder birds from this region as reported in Project Feederwatch and gave some interesting information about each. Here are a couple of things I learned I didn't know:

- The change in the starling's plumage from winter spots to summer brown is not due to a molt, but rather is a result of breaking off the white tips of small protrusions on the feathers. He said this is also a reason for male cardinals becoming brighter red in the spring.
- Blue jays (as well as blue birds and indigo buntings) are not blue. They are gray. It is the refraction of the light in the feathers that make them appear blue.
- Flocks of juncos are highly segregated by sex in the winter, with the predominantly female flocks migrating further south than the predominantly male flocks.
- The longest lived wild bird in the US (other than pelagic birds) is the mourning dove at 31 years.

I always enjoy listening to others; it is always a joy to learn new things about these fascinating creatures. I did not have a chance to attend John's other presentation on hummingbirds--I am sure it was just as interesting.

Good birding!