A phone call in almost a year ago began a series of events that culiminated in a wonderful story on NPR's!  Here's the link to the story. https://wpln.org/post/more-winter-hummingbirds-are-spotted-in-tennessee-giving-data-on-these-elusive-creatures/ I hope you take a few minutes to listen and pass it on to anyone who might be interested.

Hummingbird spring migration is official underway, the first of the Ruby-throats are arriving on the coast and winter hummingbirds still present are getting ‘fat’ in preparation for their journey ‘home’.  With all this and the change of seasons, our winter hummingbird research for the 2020-2021 season comes to an end. It was a wild and crazy winter that actually began in July with the appearance of the Mexican Violetear in Clarksville, TN. Although not ‘winter’ the bird was clearly on a ‘migration’ journey. We had to wait 2 months for the next winter hummingbird call but that call came the last week of September with the news of a return Rufous hummingbird in Thompson Station.  We went out and lo and behold the hatch-year male we had banded back in November of 2019 was indeed back for a 2nd winter in all his 'big boy' glory. As we rolled into November the calls kept coming all the way through March 5, 2021 with the banding of a second-year male Broad-tailed hummingbird in central Mississippi. The juvenile Allen’s Hummingbird we banded at the home of Mary Goodenough in Fayetteville on December 8, 2020 didn’t want us to forget him. For after departing there 2 days post banding, he was recaptured on Mobile Bay by Master Bander Fred Bassett on December 26th.  He didn’t stick around there long but 6 weeks later was [...]

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are making their spring return...day by day more and more are being seen and reported.  It's an exciting time for everyone!  We wait all winter for their return and like sand through an hour glass...here they come, slow but sure. In preparation for their arrival here are a few reminders: First, get those feeders out, dust them off, rinse them good and partially fill them with 1 part white table sugar to 4 parts water.  Boil if you won't drink your tap water or if you prefer to but MOST IMPORTANTLY - NO RED DYE. Hang one or two where you can view them.  Keep the nectar fresh and feeders clean while you wait.  Make note on a calendar when you see your first one...that way you'll know for next year. Male Ruby-throats will be the first to migrate in...they're NOT SCOUTS they're just the first migrants to find your feeders.  I'm not sure where the idea of a 'scout' originated, but I've never seen so many folks call these first hummers scouts in all the years I've been doing this.  By definition a 'scout is someone or thing that comes ahead, finds what they're looking for and returns to report what they've found to others.  Hummingbirds DO NOT do that nor do they report to any other hummingbird.  They are solo, selfish creatures who would like nothing [...]

Spring has sprung and soon those eggs you've noticed in your birdhouses, bushes or trees will begin to hatch.  And notoriously it's also the time baby birds are found on the ground and my phone starts ringing with frantic calls of 'what to do'... Here's a great reference tool put out by our friends at Massachusetts Audubon.  And if you need to find a rehabber here's a link to the 53 dedicated individuals in Tennessee. https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildlife/rehab.html  Just click on the gray tab and the list will appear by County.

Our new t-shirt design was a huge success last year and we've had a few requests for shirts since the campaign ended in 2020. So we decided to hold a 2 week only event this spring once again offering shirts, both unisex and woman's, to serve as conversation starters, a walking and talking billboard to spread the word that NO RED DYE should be used to make hummingbird nectar. Please join me in educating the public and supporting our ongoing research by purchasing a t-shirt. All proceeds will be used for continued hummingbird research and education. Southeastern Avian Research is a 501(c)3 non-profit research organization. We were established in 2014 to promote the conservation and preservation of hummingbirds and other neotropical migrants through study, research, education and banding. We invite you to check out our ongoing work at www.southeasternavianresearch.org. Thank you for your support through this fundraiser. Copy and paste the link below into your browser and make your selections.  Two week after the campaign ends you'll recieve your t-shirt in the mail.  You can start wearing it and spreading the word.   THANK YOU! https://www.customink.com/fundraising/annual-no-red-nectar-campaign2-weeks-only-3013?fbclid=IwAR1BZI2CSTCljTSozOev8nTM5KIYwdJMECaLF_xiLk7LvqXpwQpBYuYRTdM