In MD, Gerta Deterer of Wild Bird Rescue Inc. Tele: 410-288- 4546 - no email, is a local rehaber from Dundalk (Baltimore.) She's an excellent source of info & has some lovely stories about hummers she has saved. My favorite source of accurate & up to date hummingbird info is a service called Humnet, think it's out of LA. At any rate, the contributors are mainly banders from the south but many other areas of the country are represented also. Most all of them share their accumulated info enthusiastically & generously. Bob Sargent at: RubyThroat@aol.com or tele: 205-681-2888, is one of Humnet's contributing senior banders. Bob is a colorful, dedicated, articulate guy who will be more than willing to help you out with "stories, myths, truth, etc." The following is an explanation of torpor that Sargent wrote up last winter in response to a rufus in PA that was probably handled incorrectly. Sargent's story concerns the first Alabama record for a Calliope. It was put into the deep freeze by a little old well meaning lady. When a bird, any bird, perches and sleeps it will lock its feet to the perch. In the case of hummingbirds, they can appear to be frozen to a limb or vine. In addition, a hummer in torpor looks dead! They will be abnormally fluffed and cold to the touch, COLD TO THE TOUCH. I have PERSONALLY known several instances in which well intentioned folk broke the feet and legs of hummingbirds in torpor. In addition, I have known PERSONALLY of birds found "cold and frozen" to a perch being removed and placed in the deep freezer to be saved for local museum or college study collections. Bob can also explain a comparatively new and fascinating method that banders use to age hummers. The method was first published in '72 by Fernando Ortez-Crispo who lives in Ecuador. As I recall - but could be wrong - Fernando has relatives in the Balto area. Sheri Williamson's web site from the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory address: http://www.sabo.org/hbfaqs.htm has some commonly asked hummer questions (see below-the answers are on the web site.) Sheri's email address is: otter@PRIMENET.COM How many species of hummingbirds are there, and how many are found where I live? How long do hummingbirds live? What if I have a "brown thumb" or don't have space for a hummingbird garden? What is the best kind of hummingbird feeder? What solution should I use to fill my feeder? Wouldn't honey be more natural to use than white sugar? What about red dye? Don't hummingbirds need a colored solution? Are commercial nectar mixes better than plain sugar water? Is it true that I have to take my hummingbird feeders down at the end of the summer or the birds won't migrate? Do hummingbirds really migrate on the backs of geese? How far do hummingbirds migrate? What can I do to help ensure that hummingbirds are around for future generations to learn from and enjoy? Sorry, haven't found any nests around here this year plus many of the hummers have fledged by now, but Bob Sargent says he has one in Alabama built 50 ft over an automobile junk yard! Good luck on the article, Gail Frantz Reisterstown, MD