Local Bird News
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A huge THANKS to all of you who attended our hummingbird banding event at Smith-Gilbert Gardens in Kennesaw on August 25th! We had such a great crowd that got to see hummingbirds up close, and many kids were able to release birds after they were banded. All the banding data from each bird (along with ALL other banded birds in the United States) goes to the Bird Banding Lab in Patuxent, Maryland, where it is available to scientists now and for future generations. And if any banded bird is ever recovered, banders are usually notified within 24 hours. Banding provides us with important information about migration, longevity, site fidelity and much more!  Hummingbird banders Julia Elliott and Karen Theodorou are both employees of Bird Watcher Supply, and are also members of the Georgia Hummer Study Group, or Georgia Hummers for short. If you love hummingbirds, visit the new Georgia Hummers Facebook pagefor photos of banding activities, favorite hummer plants, winter hummingbird sightings and more!!! The Bird Watcher Facebook pagealso looks like hummingbird central right now! Many of you are posting photos and sharing video of swarming Ruby-throats! We love it...keep 'em coming!!! 
About the Art
We stumbled upon the artwork of Jenny Pope while searching for a funny image to use involving hummingbirds and geese. Her woodcuts involve endangered species, invasive species, and the strange mythologies that were once the means of explaining the amazing things that birds do.
Hummingbird Co-pilot is just one of her works in a series about bird migration myths, and she was kind enough to let us use her image in our newsletter. The original edition is sold out, but she is offering reproductions on bamboo.
Click Here
for the direct link to this piece, and be sure to check out her other works! Thank you, Jenny!
Visit
www.jpopstudios.com
************* Newsletter Lotto The winning receipt number for this period is
70910 dated 8/23/2012 ************** If this number and date match your receipt, you are a winner! Bring the receipt in to any Bird Watcher store location to claim your $100 Gift Card!!! Receipts dated today through September 17th are eligible for the next drawing on September 18th. Good luck! |
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Hi Birdwatchers!We hear some crazy things in our stores about birds, and hummingbirds are no exception! Here are just a few of our favorite hummingbird myths:
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Hummingbird Co-pilot by artist Jenny Pope
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~ Hummingbirds ride on the backs of Canada Geese during migration. This one doesn't make any sense at all. Hummers are very strong flyers, able to cross the Gulf of Mexico without stopping during Spring and Fall migration, which is on average a trip of 20 hours or more. Our Canada Geese, on the other hand, are almost all non-migratory, year-round residents. But for some reason this myth will just not go away!
~ Hummingbirds only eat nectar. Hummingbirds are actually quite the little bug catchers. They need protein to survive! Spiders, gnats, mosquitoes and fruit flies are all part of their diet. You might notice a slowdown at your feeders in the afternoons, usually because they are out hunting insect prey. The sugar water from our feeders is merely fuel for these little dynamos!
~ Hummingbird nectar needs to be red. In nature, nectar is not red. Flowers are. It's the same with your hummingbird feeders. Choose a red feeder and keep the nectar clear!
~ Hummers can't land or perch. They may be hard to see, but hummingbirds do have legs and feet, and they can land and perch just like other birds. You may see them hover at feeders, but often they will sit and stay awhile, especially this time of year when they are trying to put on fat for migration.
~ Hummingbirds can sting you with their bill. Nope. No stingers. No teeth. Their bills are actually a little softer than your fingernails.
~ You should take down your hummingbird feeder after Labor Day or they won't migrate. We try extremely hard to dispel this myth. Ruby-throat migration continues through September and mid October. You may see a few stragglers as late as November. September is a peak month! If you take down your feeder early, you will really miss out. We actually recommend leaving at least one feeder up year-round. Almost all Ruby-throats leave the state by mid November, but many western species of hummingbirds, like Rufous, winter in the Southeast. You can really help them out too. Please report any hummers between November 15th and March 1st!
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Did You Miss Us at Smith-Gilbert?
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No problem! We're doing it again this Saturday,
September 8th at our Buford Bird Watcher location!
Join us for our 5th Annual Hummingbird Banding Demo
from 8:30am until 11:00am,
then stay and visit with Owlbert, our favorite Great Horned Owl, from 11:00am to noon!
Also during the event, The Bird Watcher himself will be on hand to chat and answer questions. Is there something you've always wanted to ask the owner of Bird Watcher Supply? Now's your chance! See you Saturday!
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Kennesaw * Roswell * Buford * Marietta
Canton * Hiram
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