Comments on: Feeder relief for Arizona’s fire-stricken hummingbirds

By: Amber

Amber — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 03:02:00 +0000

The hummingbird is so fun to watch

By: zack

zack — Thu, 22 May 2014 18:40:35 +0000

im glad people help them

By: Jarl Kubat

Jarl Kubat — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 04:24:03 +0000

My family loves feeding these little Arizona humming birds. We have 3 & 4 at one time fighting over the feeder. Our 95 year old neighbor thinks they are all black.

By: Courtney

Courtney — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:39:26 +0000

Feeding birds or any other wild animal from a vacation home or any residence where you intend to stay for only days or weeks rather than years is a bad idea. Animals develop habits when it comes to searching for food, and those habits are often passed down to future generations. If they are accustomed to a food source that is taken away, in this case because you go back to your permanent home, they have to begin a new search for food. This involves risks since they must venture into unfamiliar territory and possibly into the path of predators and other dangers. The risk is especially high if the animal is endangered, rather at the species or local population level. In the case of the Arizona humming birds, they do not have an alternative food source, and even if they did, Arizona is an especially fragile ecosystem in which the smallest change can have devastating consequences. It is important that the hummingbirds survive in order to sustain Arizona’s ecosystem, so feed them if you like, but on behalf of the hummingbirds and the entire ecosystem that cannot speak for itself, I would like to urge you to commit to feeding them consistently.

By: Sheri L. Williamson

Sheri L. Williamson — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:02:44 +0000

Chris, your point is well taken, but there are ways to feed seed-eating birds that are less encouraging to cowbirds. It’s all about offering a menu appropriate to the more desirable clientele.

For normal spring/summer feeding in our own yard, we discourage cowbirds by cutting way back on smaller grains (millet and milo, primarily) and concentrating on black oil sunflower, nyjer, peanut butter dough, and fruit. This year’s record-breaking drought caused us to moderate this seasonal change somewhat, figuring that it was better to feed an occasional cowbird than watch our Black-throated Sparrows and Gambel’s Quail chicks starve to death or keep the White-crowned Sparrows from migrating.

Unfortunately, cowbird populations are likely to increase in southeastern Arizona no matter what we do, since the fires converted previously forested areas into the open spaces they prefer. This is farm and ranch country, so there will always be plenty of food for cowbirds, but modifying the summer bird-feeding menu can help keep bird feeding from adding to the problem.

By: Mario Olmos

Mario Olmos — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:14:36 +0000

I just returned from helping Sheri and her husband Tom to coordinate distribution centers for feeders and food in Sierra Vista, Huachuca and Chiricahua. Hummingbirds are definitely looking for food at feeders. There are reports of Magnificent hummingbird down by the SanPedro river. At Ramsey Canyon we had 9 species and at least 100 birds in 7 feeders (More than usual). It was impressing to see 5 males Blue-Throated together with Calliopes, Violet-crowned, White-eared,
Broad-Billed, Broad-tailed, Rufous, Magnificent and Anna’s.
It is sad to see how much hummingbird habitat was burned.

By: Bob Bowers

Bob Bowers — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:31:22 +0000

Excellent points. Here in the high mountains of Colorado (Keystone) for our annual summer getaway from Tucson, hummingbird numbers are down but picking up, with many Rufous and Broad-tailed feeding heavily on their way south. Calliopes are few, but hopefully will increase into August. The number of HB feeders hanging on condo decks is higher than ever.

By: Chris McCreedy

Chris McCreedy — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 07:01:35 +0000

Seed feeding (resulting in cowbird subsidization) is much too common in southeastern Arizona – at bed and breakfasts, the San Pedro House, residences, etc. I hope that the Southeastern Bird Observatory adds a note to NOT increase seed feeding. The birds will overcome the burns, but if a note like this encourages residents to subsidize cowbirds as well as hummingbirds, that behavior can persist for many more years.

By: Karl Schmitt

Karl Schmitt — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:41:57 +0000

This is an important collaborative effort to support the hummingbird poplulation resident and migrating through this important gateway. The San Pedro River is the core avian highway affording food, shelter, water to migrating birds. The destruction of so much natural habitat in our mountain canyons from the Monument and Horseshoe fires in SE Arizona has created an opportunity for this important collaboration in support of the 14 to 15 species of hummingbirds that flow through this area in huge numbers. Thanks to all the contributers and sponsors for their vision and energy in making this work! Casa de San Pedro B&B, Hereford, AZ

By: Ruth

Ruth — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:48:51 +0000

Thank goodness for this relief effort. We will do our best to help spread the word.