Pat Shingleton for Oct. 22, 2012

With more frontal passages and cool weather, bird-watchers will witness migrations. With duck season upon us, hunters will have an eye to the sky. As noted in a previous column, bird-watchers report the ever-popular Ruby Throated Hummingbird will leave our area this month with a few staying year-round. The website hummingbirds.net reports in addition to the Ruby Throated Hummingbird, 12 species of hummingbirds, from the Rufous and Black-chinned to the Broad-tailed, Broad-billed and Green-eared, enjoy their stay in south Louisiana. The Ruby-throated hummingbird is the only species that breeds east of the Rockies and will journey to their wintering grounds in Central America. A previous edition of National Wildlife Week’s “Wildlife and Weather” suggests keeping your feeders in place for some stragglers. Fastcast: Beautiful.