Last week I attended the annual Hummingbird Festival at the Sedona Performing Arts Center hosted by the International Hummingbird Society. Festival-goers were able to participate in a variety of activities, including bird walks, visits to hummingbird gardens, hummingbird banding demonstrations, lectures in the auditorium, and shopping at the hummingbird marketplace.
We have supported the festival for many years as a vendor, including the years we had a Jay’s Bird Barn store in Sedona. I enjoy participating in the festival, as I get to visit with so many dear friends who were former customers of our Sedona store, as well as current customers of our Prescott store location.
I personally feel hummingbird numbers are down quite a bit this year compared to last year. It is unrealistic to expect the numbers of birds to be the same year in and year out. Many factors affect the distribution and occurrence of birds, including weather and migration routes.
I have to believe our no-monsoon season weather is having a big impact on hummingbird numbers. Migrating hummingbirds visit hummingbird feeders at private residences as they make their way south. but they also rely on natural food sources. The lack of abundant summer rains has resulted in a lack of wildflowers that we would typically have during a more normal monsoon season.
I have to believe the lack of wildflowers and insects has affected the migration route of hundreds of thousands of hummingbirds, including those that typically pass through the Arizona Central Highlands region. I am hopeful we’ll still get some good monsoon rains, but July has certainly been a very dry month.
Early last week, I visited the private residence of a homeowner in the Groom Creek area. He feeds a lot of hummingbirds—in fact, he told me he is going through two gallons of nectar every day! His yard is certainly an exception to the rule when it comes to hummingbird numbers.
I went to his home specifically to see a broad-billed hummingbird, which is an unusual sighting for most of Yavapai County. I was delighted to see a beautiful male that was frequenting his feeders, along with countless numbers of black-chinned, Anna’s and rufous hummingbirds.
This past week there have been a number of calliope hummingbird sightings in the Sedona area, which is an indication that they are passing through the area right now. Calliope hummingbirds are the smallest hummingbird species in North America, weighing only 2.7 grams. It would take ten calliope hummingbirds to weigh one ounce!
Saturday evening, as I was driving back from Sedona, I came home via Fain Road. As I was heading northwest on Fain Road, I had a remarkable experience—I saw two separate flocks of Swainson’s hawks feeding down on the ground, gorging themselves on the abundance of grasshoppers in the high desert grassland habitat!
The sheer number of hawks were so surprising that I pulled into the emergency lane and backed up. Exiting the car, I attempted to count the number of hawks, and I came up with 180 Swainson’s hawks. I felt that was a very conservative number.
This behavior is typical of Swainson’s hawks during migration, but I felt it was unusually early for migration. However, it was happening right before my eyes. In my experience, this behavior is more common in September rather than July, but what do I know?
Be on the lookout for migrating birds of all varieties. This is the time when adults are wrapping up rearing young, becoming empty nesters, and start showing up outside their preferred summer breeding habitat. I am currently seeing black-headed grosbeaks in my yard.
Until next week, Happy Birding!
Eric Moore is the owner of The Lookout, in Prescott, where you will find a Hallmark department, wild bird products, and Swarovski and Vortex optics. Eric has been an avid birder for over 55 years. Eric can be contacted at eric@thelookoutaz.com.
