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CLEAR Temp: 73 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Sunday, June 8, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 4, 2003 Since you asked Hummers might be feeding in greener pastures In past years, we would have 20 to 40 hummingbirds in flowering trees and at the feeders in our neighborhood. This spring they returned, but a couple of weeks ago they all disappeared. What could cause this? — Bruce J., Ashland It seems to be a bit of a mystery, Bruce. Were you in the Northwest Nature Shop in Ashland Tuesday? A man that day told the Nature Shop’s Chris Uhtoff that "his" hummingbirds seem to have disappeared. Uhtoff says it’s the first time he’s heard that. Advertisement At Wild Birds Unlimited in Medford, however, several people have wondered aloud about the relative absence of the little birds this year. Kate Reed says she remembers that when she saw a juvenile Anna’s hummingbird two weeks ago, it was the first hummer she’d seen in weeks. It’s hard to figure. The two hummingbirds we have in abundance — the Anna’s and the rufous — are abundant all summer. Many Anna’s hummers stick around for winter when the rufous hummers head south, but they, too, are more numerous in Southern Oregon in the summer. The leading theory seems to be that due to our late-lasting spring rains this year — well into May — there may be a food source in the wild, say, an abundance of certain flowers, which your hummers prefer to the neighborhood feeders. That from Bobbie Kemper, wife of "Southern Oregon’s Bird Life" author John Kemper, who is away at an American Birding Association conference. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times