Companies donate $50,000 of food to fill hummingbird feeders after massive fire
KAYTEE Wild Bird products and Cedar Works are donating $50,000 in hummingbird nectar to residents in Arizona after wildfires severely threatened a number of hummingbird species, according to a press release from Market Watch.
More than 700,000 acres burned this summer in Arizona, which has made it difficult for hummingbirds to find food and find their regular migratory paths. That’s why hummingbird feeders are swarming with hungry hummingbirds, which isn’t good because it causes the birds too much work and stress.
It’s also been putting more burden on hummingbird feeder owners who are trying to sustain the populations.
“We’ve spoken to one individual who has gone through 65 pounds of sugar in a week to make nectar to keep feeders full in her area,” noted Mario Olmos, a KAYTEE Ornithologist.
Luckily, the two companies are providing citizens with free jars of hummingbird nectar.
Bird feeder put on probation for a year
The wayward bird feeder who was accused of excessively feeding birds to the point where hundreds of birds were seen eating in his yard has been placed on probation for a year, according to the Star Tribune.
Craig Brown was charged with a misdemeanor for violating the city’s code against feeding wildlife. He also has to pay a fee of $500 for his bird feeding capers.
He was potentially going to get put in jail for up to a year and have the violation put on his record. He said he was satisfied with the outcome, but still seemed a bit saddened at the fact that he would no longer have his bird feeders up.
He said despite the fact that he wasn’t going to have his bird feeders up, he was still leaving the birdbaths as a source of water for the birds.
Hurricane season is prime bird watching time
In a great article by Lyndsay Winkley, she reported that as people were evacuating from Hurricane Irene, others were settling down to watch birds.
It’s the perfect opportunity to see rare shorebirds. The birds become trapped in the eye of the hurricane and once the winds die down, they reemerge in a new area.
Here’s more of what she had to say:
Some trapped for hundreds of miles, ‘hurricane birds’ are reverently observed by watchers like the guy in the lobby, who, without the extreme weather, may never have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of rarities like the tropicbird.
