(Reporting from south Reston, Fairfax County, N. VA). The posts on
Hummingbirds have been extremely interesting to me as I live for my
hummers. Just a few additional comments. Keep in mind that populations of
bird species tend to naturally fluctuate from year to year due to weather
and other conditions at the wintering grounds, headwinds during migration,
lack of food upon arrival, storms, etc. Also, on walks in the woods, I
have noticed a VERY large number of flowering trees and bushes - seemingly
and unscientifically much higher than normal (and the pollen counts tend to
support this), so this alone could result in our seeing fewer hummers at
our feeders. On a slightly different note, after reading all of the posts
I had concluded that I was having the same "low count" experience that is
being reported. Yesterday, I worked from home and was able to keep watch
on my hummingbird feeders. What I discovered was a normal flow of hummers
for this time of year (normally low, in fact) - early spring when most
hummers are "in the chase," gathering material for nesting, sitting on
nests or just enjoying the normal variety of flora in the neighborhood.
So, I have no reason to be alarmed. Thank you for reading to this point.
Happy hummer-birding. Craig
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Craig Zalk
