"A
Hummingbird shows us how to re-visit the past for the purpose of
releasing it instead of being caught in a permanently backward flight
pattern. It also helps us to see that if we step
aside we may see our life differently. A Hummingbird teaches us to
transcend time, to recognize that what has happened in the past and what
might happen in the future is not nearly as important as what we are
experiencing now. It teaches us to hover in the
moment, to appreciate its sweetness." - Constance Barrett Sohodski
Hi Everyone,
Well, “the big event” has finally arrived!!
These are the exciting and fun-filled weeks that we live, plan and work for each year.
Hummingbirds are in the thick of their southward migration and our garden tours are coming up in just a few short weeks.
It’s been a challenging and unusual summer in many ways, but
hummingbirds have taken it all in stride and their time with us has been
almost the most predictable aspect of the season.
The frenetic pace of their feeding and chasing and chittering is
building and we know that it is unfortunately temporary and soon our
ears will be met with silence when we enter our garden.
In a month or two they must leave us and live their lives as
“winter hummingbirds” in Mexico and Central America and a few will end
up in the Gulf Coast states (thank goodness Hurricane Issac did not
occur a few weeks later!)
We truly hope that you will be able to join us for one or both of our annual community hummingbird garden tours.
If you have attended before, please come back and see what’s
changed in our garden from 2011---if you have never been able to join
us, please come and find out how we have created “hummingbird heaven” in
our urban City of Madison yard and hopefully,
you’ll even get to see a few hummingbirds and you will definitely see
many unusual and exciting plants (although because of the extremely
early and warm spring, many perennials bloomed a month early and you
will see mostly salvias and tropicals)!
This year, our first tour will be on a Wednesday afternoon/early evening---SEPTEMBER 19 (please drop in for a “hummingbird happy hour” after work!), followed by our second Sunday afternoon tour on
SEPTEMBER 23.
Once
again, Wildbirds Unlimited has so generously agreed to donate
hummingbird items for our door prize drawings (5 p.m. on Wednesday,
September 19 and 3 p.m. on September 23---you must be present
to win a prize)---we so much appreciate the incredible support of Bob
and Jan Ross and Steve Sample from Wildbirds Unlimited.
You will also again notice the beautiful metal plant tags that were so kindly donated by Ms. Carol Brown.
Last year, there were many positive comments on the tags,
especially since many of our plants are on the unusual side and not the
typical plants seen for sale at local nurseries.
Carol, thank you for your support and thoughtfulness related to this important aspect of our garden.
To download a flyer for the tours with all the details about date, time, place, and location, please visit our website at:
Many folks, especially if they have never attended our tour before or do not live in Madison, are confused about how to find us.
Here is a link to a Mapquest Map of where we are located.
Our address is 5118 Buffalo Trail in Madison
(just west of the Hilldale Mall/Target and a block west of Oscar
Rennebohm Park and one block south of Sheboygan Avenue/Department of
Motor Vehicles):
If
you would like to bring a small snack (vegetarian items preferred), a
bag of white table sugar, some potting soil, or other garden item, that
would be wonderful---but this is totally OPTIONAL
and absolutely not required. There is no cost to attend our tour.
Please come one or both days and stay as long as you would like.
In addition, please share this information with other interested
persons.
A few other helpful guidelines:
- · The event will take place rain or shine, heat or cold.
- · All minor children must be supervised at all times by an adult during the tour
- · If you are allergic or extremely fearful of bees and wasps, we caution you that we have an unusually high number of those insects this year. We find if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you, but you may want to bring insect repellent and we will also have some available. Avoiding the use of strong fragrance in body care products will also be helpful in staying safe with bees and wasps. On the positive side, the extreme dryness of this summer has greatly decreased the number of mosquitoes.
- · We recommend that you wear flat, comfortable, closed toed shoes for your own comfort and safety.
- · Cameras and video equipment are allowed and encouraged.
- · Please do not pick or disturb any of the flowers you see---they are planted for the hummingbirds and your viewing enjoyment---if you love a flower and can’t live without it, please take a picture!
So, we hope to see you all soon as we celebrate the migration of the Ruby-throated hummingbird.
If you have any questions about the tours, please e-mail or call us.
Best Wishes,
Kathi and Michael Rock
PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR UPCOMING HUMMINGBIRD GARDENING CLASS AT OLBRICH GARDENS
For
the first time ever we will be presenting our hummingbird gardening
program at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin.
This is a great honor for us and we are very excited to be a part of the educational offering of this fine institution.
The date is, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2012 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Olbrich Gardens in Madison.
To learn more about registering, please visit the following link:
We
are excited about having a full two hours for our program, which only
rarely happens and also look forward to the beautiful facilities that
Olbrich is able to provide.
We hope to see you there!!
SEDONA HUMMINGBIRD FESTIVAL
We attended the first ever Hummingbird Festival in Sedona, Arizona this August.
It was a wonderful success and we learned so much from the phenomenal speakers and garden tours that were offered.
In addition, Sedona is a beautiful and majestic place to visit.
Look
for a detailed report on the event with photos in our upcoming
newsletter, but you might be interested in the following video from the
CBS Evening News that highlighted the festival as
a part of a report on this season’s drought and extreme heat:
This festival will now be an annual event, so if you missed it this year, you may wish to consider attending next year.
The 2013 dates for the festival are August 2-4 in Sedona.
Visit the Hummingbird Society’s website at www.SedonaHummingbirdFestival.com for more information.
HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A HUMMINGBIRD’S LIFE TODAY---JOIN THE HUMMER/BIRD STUDY GROUP
We are lifetime members of an incredible organization called The Hummer/Bird Study Group.
Their mission is to foster “the study and preservation of Hummingbirds and other Neo-tropical Migrants.”
Bob and Martha Sargent, the founders of this amazing
organization, have inspired us to do what we do to bring the study of
hummingbirds on a much smaller scale to the Upper Midwest.
They support us in this important work and are also personal friends.
We want to encourage all of you to join The Hummer/Bird Study Group.
You can join as a Lifetime Member, which would be awesome, but if that’s not in your budget, you can also pay yearly dues.
As a part of your membership, you will receive a really fine
quarterly publication called “Netlines”, which never fails to inspire
and amuse us (and they offer a wonderful hummingbird calendar and other
unique hummingbird items for sale through the newsletter
and the organization’s website).
In
addition to the newsletter and banding (Bob and Martha personally band
many “winter” hummingbirds in the southeast and train and manage other
hummingbird banders), they also band thousands
of birds in the spring and fall at Fort Morgan State Historical Park on
the Gulf Coast in Alabama.
This important event is an unforgettable experience and is open
to the public and provides education about birds for people of all ages.
A beautiful VHS called “A Bird In The Hand” produced by the
Alabama Center for Public Television documented the passion and hard
work of the Sargents as they carry out these banding sessions each year.
To join this wonderful and important organization, please visit their website at:
We hope that you will strongly consider making a small difference in the life of a hummingbird today!
In a world where the changes in our natural environment seem so
out of our control, becoming a member of this organization is one
definitive step that you can take to help.
PATON HOME IN ARIZONA FOR SALE
We,
along with so many other people who are passionate about hummingbirds,
have visited this wonderful place on a trip to Arizona and loved seeing
all of the beautiful Violet-Crowned hummingbirds
that visit the area. As the owners, Wally and Marion Paton, have now both passed away, their children are now selling the home.
Here is the press release:
Renowned Paton Birder Haven in Search for Buyer
July 12, 2012: PATAGONIA, ARIZONA -----The Paton Family Trust announces the intent to open market the property of the late Marion and Wally Paton on Pennsylvania Avenue in Patagonia, Arizona, known as “Paton Birder Haven.” This decision is reached after 2 1Ž2 years endeavoring to sell the property to local non-profit birding interests. Paton Birder Haven is a world renowned location for observing migrating hummingbird species, as well as other elusive birds of the Coronado Forest.
Since the passing of their mother in August 2009, the children of Marion and Wally have kept the feeders filled and welcomed birders to the privately owned Paton property. Paton Birder Haven has been featured on PBS, in National Geographic Magazine, Smithsonian, Bird Watcher’s Digest, National Wildlife Magazine and in articles in other publications. Also featured in widely respected travel guides, Frommer’s, promotes Paton’s as “a favorite stop of avid birders.” Annual visitors to the Paton backyard number 20,000 – 30,000. A recent visitor to the site noted, “Paton’s is a national treasure!”
Marion and Wally Paton moved from New Hampshire in 1974. They plantedbushes and flowers in their Patagonia backyard to attract birds. Withmany types of feeders they observed different species which brought daily delights. Over the next decade, continuous feeding presented excitingsightings at the edge of the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, among them the rare Violet Crowned Hummingbird. Adjacent to the Nature Conservancy preserve, birders would line the fence along the Paton property with cameras, trying to get a glimpse of the Violet Crowned. At this point, Wally and Marion decided to open their gate and welcome the public. A tent was erected in the backyard; benches and birding guides were set out. They placed a chalkboard so daily sightings could be posted and installed a tin can on the gate for donations to defray the cost of sugar.
Graciously welcoming the public, Marion and Wally enjoyed meeting folks from around the world including naturalists, ornithologists, well-traveled birders, as well as first time observers and many people with physical limitations. Over the years, Wally and Marion continued to feed and attract rare birds and in 1992, the first Cinnamon Hummingbird viewing in United States was at Paton’s - one of only two sightings in the U.S. The Plain-Capped Starthroat has been observed on several occasions. Paton’s is considered one of the most reliable spots in the United States to view the Violet Crowned. Today many birding tours of Southeast Arizona includePaton’s on their itineraries.
“We are grateful to so many for their continuing interest and support since the passing of our mother,” said Bonnie Paton Moon. “Honoring our parents’ dedication and 30 years feeding and attracting birds to their backyard has been an incredible living legacy for the birding community,” she continued.
The Paton family is not engaged in any fundraising for this effort and, at this juncture, they have not authorized the use of the “Paton” name for any charitable organization.
July 12, 2012: PATAGONIA, ARIZONA -----The Paton Family Trust announces the intent to open market the property of the late Marion and Wally Paton on Pennsylvania Avenue in Patagonia, Arizona, known as “Paton Birder Haven.” This decision is reached after 2 1Ž2 years endeavoring to sell the property to local non-profit birding interests. Paton Birder Haven is a world renowned location for observing migrating hummingbird species, as well as other elusive birds of the Coronado Forest.
Since the passing of their mother in August 2009, the children of Marion and Wally have kept the feeders filled and welcomed birders to the privately owned Paton property. Paton Birder Haven has been featured on PBS, in National Geographic Magazine, Smithsonian, Bird Watcher’s Digest, National Wildlife Magazine and in articles in other publications. Also featured in widely respected travel guides, Frommer’s, promotes Paton’s as “a favorite stop of avid birders.” Annual visitors to the Paton backyard number 20,000 – 30,000. A recent visitor to the site noted, “Paton’s is a national treasure!”
Marion and Wally Paton moved from New Hampshire in 1974. They plantedbushes and flowers in their Patagonia backyard to attract birds. Withmany types of feeders they observed different species which brought daily delights. Over the next decade, continuous feeding presented excitingsightings at the edge of the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, among them the rare Violet Crowned Hummingbird. Adjacent to the Nature Conservancy preserve, birders would line the fence along the Paton property with cameras, trying to get a glimpse of the Violet Crowned. At this point, Wally and Marion decided to open their gate and welcome the public. A tent was erected in the backyard; benches and birding guides were set out. They placed a chalkboard so daily sightings could be posted and installed a tin can on the gate for donations to defray the cost of sugar.
Graciously welcoming the public, Marion and Wally enjoyed meeting folks from around the world including naturalists, ornithologists, well-traveled birders, as well as first time observers and many people with physical limitations. Over the years, Wally and Marion continued to feed and attract rare birds and in 1992, the first Cinnamon Hummingbird viewing in United States was at Paton’s - one of only two sightings in the U.S. The Plain-Capped Starthroat has been observed on several occasions. Paton’s is considered one of the most reliable spots in the United States to view the Violet Crowned. Today many birding tours of Southeast Arizona includePaton’s on their itineraries.
“We are grateful to so many for their continuing interest and support since the passing of our mother,” said Bonnie Paton Moon. “Honoring our parents’ dedication and 30 years feeding and attracting birds to their backyard has been an incredible living legacy for the birding community,” she continued.
The Paton family is not engaged in any fundraising for this effort and, at this juncture, they have not authorized the use of the “Paton” name for any charitable organization.
To catch a glimpse of the hummingbirds that visit this magnificent spot, click on the following links:
BABY HUMMINGBIRD ‘ADOPTS US’
We
thought you would enjoy the very touching account of how a baby
Ruby-throated hummingbird “adopted” a family living in the Dane County,
Wisconsin area.
To read the account and see beautiful photos, please visit the following link:
We feel blessed to be part of such a touching and sweet story and what it can teach us about our own lives!
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