The Hummingbird Society--
An Historical Narrative
by Dr. H. Ross Hawkins, Founder
The Hummingbird Society was founded in May of 1996, but its roots go back to 1992. The story began with a discovery by George Long, a carver, that a look-alike decoy can attract hummingbirds. The rest, as they say, is history...
In May of 1992, the local Delaware paper, the News-Journal, ran a feature about hummingbirds. The reporter, Frances Hamilton, illustrated the story with a photo of me, holding a small feeder in my hand, and an immature Ruby-throated Hummingbird hovering and feeding. The photo had been taken by my wife, Beth (who little dreamed at the time that in the future she would become a fulltime nature photographer, specializing in hummingbirds).
The number of phone calls from friends and clients (I was a stockbroker at the time) who saw the article surprised me. "I saw your picture in the paper today. I didn't know you liked hummingbirds! I just love them, too!" was their typical response.
Without being seen, one client quietly slipped into my office and left a gift, one that was to change my life: a red gladiolus made of silk flowers, mounted on a wooden base. There, with its beak inserted into a blossom, was a hand-carved hummingbird that appeared to be feeding. It was very lifelike.
I correctly deduced that the donor was George Long, a friend and client, and a superb carver. George couldn't resist showing off one of his carved Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, which he had been making and giving to friends and family for some time.
A Hummingbird Decoy??
This story could have ended here, but in September Frances Hamilton (who later would become a Director of the Society) wrote another hummingbird article, this one about George Long and his carved hummingbirds. You see, George had been receiving feedback from the recipients of his carved hummers: they were acting like decoys, i.e., real hummers seemed to be drawn to them when they saw them. Yes, just like ducks.
A hummingbird decoy may not sound like a newsworthy item to you. But to people who have had disappointing luck attracting hummingbirds to their yard, it was a new hope.
Hamilton suspected that an article would cause Long's phone to start ringing, so while preparing it she asked if he would sell the decoys, and if so, for what price. Long, retired but not really looking for work to do, said he would...for $10 a bird(!). What happened should not be surprising. Within two weeks, Long received over $10,000 in checks--orders for over 1,000 decoys! Long called me, unhappy--even depressed. He knew how long it would take him to carve that many, and he was not thrilled at the prospect. "There's no way I can do it. I have to send all those checks back. Do you realize it will cost me nearly $300 just to send their checks back?"
A Creative Solution
Independently, another friend, Ron Waxman, called. "Did you see this guy in the paper who carves hummingbirds that act as decoys? Wow!" I explained that I knew George, and that he was pretty unhappy about the situation he found himself in. "But to work, the decoys don't have to be of wood, do they? Couldn't they be made of molded plastic that was accurate in detail? Because if they can, I know a place where they could probably be produced relatively cheaply. Then maybe he wouldn't have to carve so many." I called George and told him not to send the checks back just yet. We scheduled a lunch meeting, just the three of us. We decided to form a corporation, Hummers, Inc., to make and market hummingbird decoys. Ron was right and found us a manufacturer. We were in business. We prepared a letter to all who had sent money. If they really wanted a carved decoy, they'd get one, but they would have to wait many months, maybe even a year. On the other hand, they could get a molded plastic replica of one of Long's most skillfully-carved hummers in only a few months. They could also have their money returned. About two-thirds said they'd be happy with the plastic version, and the rest said they'd wait for the carved one, no matter how long it took. Few wanted their money back. Hummers, Inc., now had a client base, with prepaid orders. A custom molding company was found who was able to make the decoys and even hand paint them, all for a reasonable price. That part of the problem was now solved. But even one-third of 1,000 is over 300 decoys, of course, so Long still had a problem with carving decoys. He enlisted the help of Thomas Kingsley with the carving, teaching him the fine points to match his style. It took about a year, but finally all the orders for carved decoys were filled.
The Newsletter is Born
During the year, it occurred to the three "corporate moguls" that since there was more to attracting hummers than just putting out a decoy, we should provide extra information. The format chosen was a newsletter, eight pages in length, all in black and white. With the added cost, we couldn't afford to give it away--would there be enough interest that we could offer it on a subscription basis?
With that, the Ross Hawkins Hummingbird Newsletter was born. It immediately had 300 subscribers. Later its name would be changed to The Hummingbird Connection. Hummers, Inc., added more items: books, feeders, and videos about hummingbirds, etc. We took out small ads in birding magazines, and merchandise began to sell.
Advertising in a national publication costs a lot of money. Lots. Hummers, Inc., had modest, steady business. But it was a "nonprofit" business--not by design, you understand, it just worked out that way. We were selling niche products in a niche market, and advertising costs were just too much.
Have you ever heard the saying, "Life is what happens when you're making other plans"? During the early years, I came to know others who shared a serious interest in hummingbirds, including scientists, banders, rehabilitators, business people, and so on. What I found surprised me.
Needed: A Society to Protect Hummingbirds
There were nonprofit organizations to protect bluebirds (the North American Bluebird Society), purple martins (the Purple Martin Conservation Association), whooping cranes-- even vultures--but none to protect hummingbirds, even though a substantial number (thirty species, at the time) were classified as "threatened" and at risk of extinction.
In a critical conversation in 1995, I spoke to Michael Godfrey, creator of the "Up Close with Hummingbirds" video, as well as many others. Godfrey, a naturalist, was a good sounding board. He suggested I consider forming a "society" for hummingbirds, much like those already in existence for other birds. Godfrey steered me to Tom Post, who, it turns out, had a very clear picture of what the structure of such an organization would be. He was more than happy to share, and his suggestions were very valuable.
That same week, two other events seemed to support the idea. First, a Canadian software company offered to set up a hummingbird web site to display hummer photographs. To this day, the photo gallery part of our web site they created is the most visited section. Secondly, an email from a scientist in Sweden suggested that I start a "hummingbird society."
Then, a subscriber to the newsletter wrote us a letter but with the address made out to "The Hummingbird Society" instead of Hummers, Inc.
In the next fifteen months, I was able to find the necessary legal and accounting help (all pro bono) to create The Hummingbird Society as a nonprofit corporation. Several committed individuals joined the initial Board of Directors, most of whom continue to serve. On May 14, 1996, the State of Delaware issued a Certificate of Incorporation, and the Hummingbird Society was born. Hummers, Inc., would be no more; it closed up its books, and compensated the Hummingbird Society so that it could fulfill the remaining issues of the newsletter. From now on, the thrust would be to conserve hummingbirds and to educate people about them. It would be a different world.