Thursday, June 3, 2010

Birdwatching in Amish Country. The Hummers are Here!


A few months ago we had some guests who were in to bird watching. She had a digital device that gives you samples of bird calls and pictures. We were fascinated by this. We use the local library a lot and I was able to order a really neat book, The Backyard Birdsong Guide, for Eastern and Central America.


Wow! Is it neat. It has about 75 local species of birds and a digital sample of their calls.
At the Hasseman House B&B we have a lot of birds. I'm learning to identify the sounds of Robins, Red Winged Blackbirds, Killdeer, and others. Of all the birds, though, the Hummingbird is our favorite. We recently put out a feeder and are amazed how much activity we are getting from Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. They are the main type in our area, but are beautiful to behold. We plane on putting out some more feeders to attract even more.

About a month ago a past guest stopped in who lives at nearby Sugarcreek. She told us how last Fall a rare Hummingbird that had never been sited came to her feeder. It is called the Allen Hummingbird. When word got around she had over 600 people/ornithologists come to document this finding. The bird is usually found in Mexico but must have gotten way off course :)

Anyway, if you are a bird watcher, Amish Country Ohio has plenty of birds for you to see.
We are on about 300 acres of farmland and woods and also there is a Wilderness Center less than a mile from us that has a lot of birding opportunities. Truly God's creative genius is displayed in these amazing birds!

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