Nature's Notebook

 t’s not the title of a new movie, and it’s not about hum-vees. Instead, the Tri-State region was hit by an amazing influx of hummingbirds during the past few weeks.

  That’s right. Hummingbirds. In November. And not just any hummingbirds, not even our one common breeding species in the East, the ruby-throated hummingbird .

  No, most of these are Selasphorus hummingbirds. Don’t worry, they’re not some kind of radioactive element. That’s the name of a genus of two closely related hummingbirds from western North America, the  rufous hummingbird and  Allen’s hummingbird . Even expert birders have trouble telling these two species apart, so similar is their plumage at this time of year; for that reason, they often refer to them by their generic name.

 Sensibly, our rubythroats have headed south for the winter, and so have the vast majority of other North American hummers. But for some reason, a handful of these tiny birds, particularly of the Selasphorus duo, wander the continent during late fall, popping up at hummingbird feeders and late-blooming flowers far from their home ranges.

 What made this November exceptional was the sheer number of sightings. Many of us suspect that the continued string of unusually warm days is the cause, though why it should push those Westerners eastward is not clear. A second possible explanation is that more people have been leaving out their nectar feeders longer as they become aware of the general phenomenon of late-wandering hummers.

 You might want to join in the game by hanging a hummingbird feeder and watching it for a tiny sprite (though as I write this, the season’s coldest weather is finally due to arrive). Feeders are on sale at the Sharon Audubon gift shop and elsewhere.

 Notes from readers: Joy Pulver of Salisbury writes that an adult bald eagle is still evident in the vicinity of Lakeville Lake; Margaret Webber of Sharon had a flock of  eastern bluebirds on her deck.

 Fred Baumgarten is a naturalist and writer. He can be reached at fredb58@sbcglobal.net. His blog is at thatbirdblog.blogspot.com. 

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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