The hummingbird is back at my feeders--first appeared at 7:15 am, feeding heavily in the feeders near the fence--mainly the large feeder hanging in the box elder tree. He's also been perched quite a bit in the lilac bush.
If you come, PLEASE look as carefully as you can at the back feathers, looking for rusty feathers or a definite lack of them, and at the shape of the tail feathers, and which tail feathers don't have rust. A couple of people have asked that I get the bird captured and moved to a warmer climate. I honestly believe this is inappropriate. First, in the few cases I know of hummingbirds being captured and transported, half have died, presumably from stress--it isn't a kindness to capture a wild bird merely for doing what it does naturally--and Rufous (and even Allen's) Hummingbirds are known to wander east regularly, and are overwintering farther and farther north. As tropical deforestation continues apace, perhaps those birds wintering in the US will contribute to the eventual survival of the species--right now, although Rufous Hummingbirds have healthy numbers, their numbers are declining . Also, the Rufous Hummingbird is the most northern-nesting of all hummingbirds, breeding even in the mountains in Alaska and northern Canada. It can handle at least some harsh conditions. I think it is wisest and most humane to allow the bird to continue to come as it chooses, and to move on when it's ready. Are my feeders enticing it to remain too long? It was already wandering this far north in November before it detected my feeders. It's been seen feeding at the tips of some branches--perhaps getting late insects or spiders--and so there has obviously been some natural food available for it. There are a great many feeders in Louisiana throughout the winter, but most hummingbirds move on despite the abundant food. The pattern with Rufous Hummingbirds seems to be that they remain in a place for days, or weeks, depending on a lot of factors, some we don't even know about, and so although my feeders are certainly providing it with extra calories, they are not what brought him here in the first place, and as far as I can tell, after talking with experts, the feeders will not entice him to remain longer than he would. Laura Erickson Duluth, MN NOTE address change: [email protected] Producer, "For the Birds" radio program <http://www.lauraerickson.com/> There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson
