I love reading the posts of what others see and photograph. I moved to
Lubbock 40 years ago this coming June, and have been an LEAS member almost
that long. I, too, watched the chapter nearly collapse on more than one
occasion - so many members lost interest, moved, and passed on. Until I
started the Wildlife Center in 1988 I was much more active in the chapter -
going to meetings - CBCs, bird watching get-togethers, and so on. SPWRC ate
my life for 26 years (not complaining - raising thousands of baby songbirds
over the years just wore me out :) ). That said, I now lead a much
quieter, stress-free existence since I retired from SPW.
One LEAS post about a hummingbird prompted me to put out my feeders and
before long, we had a regular visitor. All the Siskin chatter prompted me
to buy thistle stockings and fill my two old thistle feeders. Lo and
behold, we had siskins all over the place; they left briefly, but several
still come around. Unless it's too hot, the peanut butter feeder is emptied
and refilled at least once a day, along with a bowl of water.
A note about hummingbird feeders: we have two - glass jars with the red
plastic bottom/yellow flowers. If you put soap in the ant-guard, be sure to
change it after it rains. As Rob pointed out, the soap will run down the
sides of the jar and into the nectar reservoir at the base - it will be
cloudy because it's soapy. Be sure to clean it all thoroughly and maybe
just put water in the ant guard on top.
I also love all the chatter and updates on activities since Covid kept
people mostly indoors and careful for months - what better way to spend
time than watching birds, sharing photos, new sightings, and our daily
observations. I think it's done wonders for our chapter!
Carol Lee