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More accurately, it could be the hummingbirds who have the sticky situation.
My first clue there was a problem was the fog of email that began arriving early last Saturday when my Outdoors column came out. Lots of people apparently like to read the paper very early in the morning.
They pointed out that I had reversed the recipe amounts for preparing nectar water in hummingbird feeders.
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Instead of one part sugar and four parts water, I had written just the opposite. There was good natured concern that such a sweet mixture would at least result in a bunch of hummers with sticky beaks, and at worst, a health hazard for these precious little creatures.
Great Backyard Bird Count 2021 could be biggest ever
Updated Feb 10, 2021;
Posted Feb 10, 2021
The blue jay is one of the top 10 most counted birds annually in the Great Backyard Bird Count. (GBBC photo)
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The 24th annual GBBC is scheduled for Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15.
All birding indices, from sales of bird feeders and seed to downloads of bird-identification apps, have trended significantly upward during the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year a record 268,674 participants (up from 224,781) submitted 249,444 checklists reporting the 6,942 bird species they spotted during the GBBC (up from 204,921 checklists and 6,699 species).
And, as in every GBBC since the very first, birders in Pennsylvania were among the top in 2020. They submitted 8,899 checklists, placing the state fifth behind California, with 13,331 checklists; New York, 10,535; Texas, 10,193; and Florida, 10,976. Rounding out the top 10 last year were Virginia, 7,088; Ohio, 7,063;
Great Backyard Bird Count underway
Poll
Will you visit a business if they open in spite of health restrictions that say they can’t?
Yes
The worldwide Great Backyard Bird Count event has returned for the 24th year this month, with hopes that with more people spending time outdoors because of the pandemic, more will participate for a better count.
The annual bird count is an opportunity for all budding birdwatchers and bird-count experts to use their skills. For at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, people are encouraged to collect their findings and enter them into the online checklists.
The 24th-annual Great Backyard Bird Count, which runs Friday through Monday, is an opportunity for all budding birdwatchers and bird-count veterans to use their