Monday, May 7, 2018 Rufous Hummer!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 5:39 am, sunset 10:11 pm for a total day length of 16 hours and 31 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 2 seconds longer.

After four days of squalls featuring hard rain, hail with a grumble of thunder over Mt Marathon, sprinkles, and brief peeks of sunshine, the storm finally gave up and fizzled out. Today the sun shone brightly and only puffy, white clouds sailed in the blue sky. Temps remain chilly, however, ranging from a low of 22 to a high of 38 with a south wind.

Despite all the obstacles thrown up by the storms, a female RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD appeared like magic at my waiting feeder this morning. She is a bit of magic! A Bear Lake resident reported the first hummer on May 2; a neighbor reported a male on May 5.

To keep those feeders clean, Audubon recommends washing with a solution of 1 part white vinegar to 4 cups water (kills mold and fungus). Fill with fresh sugar water (1 part white sugar to 4 parts clean water, boil 2 minutes and cool, do not use honey or red food coloring) and reap the ample rewards of watching these tiny wonders until they zip away in mid July. Zinggggg!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

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