Hummingbird FeedersWe Love Hummingbirds
Everyone does, or at least it seems that way. And it is easy to understand, because no other bird or animal has the charisma of a hummingbird:
—Flashing, colorful beauty!
—Unmatched flight abilities, including hovering and flying backwards
—Unafraid to approach us and enter into relationship with us
On the one hand, hummingbirds appear tiny and delicate: the average hummer weights only about 1/10 ounce (3-4 grams). Yet they are hardy and resilient: some species annually migrate as much as 3,000 files each way.
Even though resilient, they do face problems: 31 of the 331 known species have been designated at risk of extinction by BirdLife International.
In deciding how the Hummingbird Society could help the plight of tiny, endangered hummingbirds, we followed the words of the Senegalese environmentalist Baba Dioum, who is quoted as saying:
"In the end, we will conserve only what we love.
We will love only what we understand.
We understand only what we are taught."
The Hummingbird Society was created in 1996 as a nonprofit* organization to help people understand and appreciate hummingbirds and to provide a channel to help save the ones that are endangered.That sums it up well for the purpose of the Hummingbird Society's mission: teach people about hummingbirds, and they will understand them better; and from that understanding and caring, will come support for their protection.
You can do your part by becoming a member of the Hummingbird Society, for only $30 (tax-deductible, too), or by making a donation.
 |
This Red Wine
is Saving Hummingbirds |
|---|
In 2006, Clos LaChance Winery of San Martin, California, signed on as a corporate sponsor of the Hummingbird Society. They proposed creating a new "Threatened Hummingbirds" series of wine to benefit one particular hummingbird species at risk of extinction each year. A significant part of all sales (at least 15%) is passed on to the Society to specifically help conservation efforts for that species. In the first year, the success exceeded all expectations: virtually all the wine was sold out in less than a year, and nearly $20,000 was sent to the Society to help protect the Juan Fernández Firecrown in Chile. The following year a wine was offered for the Honduran Emerald, and that, too, has sold out.
Now, in 2011, the third wine in the series–a fabulous red meritage–has become available, to help the Colorful Puffleg. You can order the wine directly from Clos LaChance by calling toll-free (800) ITS-WINE, Extension 113, or call direct to 408-686-1050.
[Certain geographic restrictions apply,
depending on the state and county to which the wine is delivered. The wine cannot be
ordered from the Society.]
* We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.