The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages people to discover nature this spring by learning about the ruby-throated hummingbird. Missourians will begin seeing these birds this month as the tiny long-distance fliers return to the state as part of their spring migration.

“Hummingbirds will be arriving soon and a few have already been spotted in southern Missouri,” said MDC State Ornithologist Sarah Kendrick. “It’s time to put out feeders! Their numbers will increase throughout the month of April.”

Hummingbird feeder sugar water does not need to be colored red, added Kendrick. The birds will find it and drink it without coloring.

She noted hummingbirds.net/map.html is a fun and useful website to see when and where hummingbirds are migrating. The migration map shows locations where the birds have already been spotted this year as they migrate northward into the U.S. and Canada. The website also allows visitors to help out by submitting dates and exact locations of hummingbird sightings. Other online resources, such as eBird.org, also use birder-submitted information to track bird sightings as they move northward.

Like about 80 other bird species that breed in Missouri, hummingbirds typically migrate south in early fall and migrate back north in the spring.

“Hummingbirds arrive in Missouri in April and May to nest and raise their young. They then make their fall southward migration in mid-August with most leaving by early October,” Kendrick said. “A few birds overwinter in extreme southern coastal states, but most overwinter from southern Mexico to Costa Rica. These tiny birds are so amazing! During migration, they fly nonstop for 600 miles from the Gulf Coast of the U.S. to the Yucatan Peninsula over the Gulf of Mexico and then back on their return trips. They can lose half their body weight during this 24-hour flight.”

Early spring arrivals rely on sap oozing from sapsucker-drilled holes and insects for food. With warmer weather, they soon switch to eating nectar from many different kinds of flowers later in spring. This gives them energy needed to catch insects all day long to feed their young.

Hummingbirds are more than just a delight to watch zipping around at your feeder, they also play very important roles in our ecosystem.

“Hummingbirds are important pollinators for many plants that require a long-billed pollinator,” Kendrick said. “And because of their small size, hummingbirds can end up as food for predators, such as large insects, spiders, other birds, and frogs.”

She added, “Another great way to help hummers and other migratory birds is to grow native plants. Native plants attract native insects, which are a vital food source for breeding birds. Great native plants for hummingbirds include cardinal flower, jewelweed, and trumpet creeper.”

Cape Girardeau, Missouri -  Hendrickson Business Advisors is excited to congratulate their most recent graduates of the Dale Carnegie Course.  During the course, the participants focused on self-confidence, building relationships, motivation, effective communication, stress and worry management, and leadership skills.  Rhett Hendrickson said, “We could not have wished for a more engaged, fun group of participants.  The self-confidence and interpersonal skills they developed during this eight-week course will directly impact the work they do for their companies and in the community.”

The nine graduates of this course are:

Kevin Rowett-DHL Supply Chain

Cantrell Andrews-Cape Girardeau School District 

Aaron Adeoye Cape-Girardeau School District 

Kweku Arkoful-Cape Girardeau School District 

Wyky Jean-Cape Girardeau School District

Seth Colwick-Mitchell Insurance

Jeremy Toll-HAVCO Wood Products

Seville Bell-HAVCO Wood Products

Susan Horman-HAVCO Wood Products 

Hendrickson Business Advisors will conduct The Dale Carnegie Course again in the coming weeks in a three-day format. Those interested should contact Rhett at Hendrickson Business Advisors:  573.335.1885 or via email at rhett@hendricksonba.com.

Dale Carnegie Training was founded in 1912 and offers professional corporate training in the areas of leadership, management, communications, presentations, and sales skills.  Dale Carnegie courses are taught each year in all 50 U.S. States and 87 foreign countries.  More than 8 million people have completed Dale Carnegie Training at a 99% satisfaction rate.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages hunters to think safety while in the woods turkey hunting. Youth spring turkey hunting season is April 7-8 and regular spring turkey hunting season begins April 16 and runs through May 6. Shooting hours for regular turkey season are from a half hour before sunrise to 1 p.m.

MDC Protection Field Chief Randy Doman stresses that the most common cause of a turkey hunting incident is a hunter being mistaken for game.

“Each year, most turkey hunting incidents involve hunters who shoot at sound, color, or movement,” Doman said. “It’s very important to always identify your target and know what’s beyond it before aiming the gun at it and squeezing the trigger.”

The popular fad of fanning turkeys is catching on and could be dangerous. The fanning technique involves someone hiding behind a turkey fan of tail feathers and moving it around to attract other turkeys.

“The fanning technique is not recommended because you could potentially be mistaken for a gobbler and become a victim of a hunting incident,” MDC Hunter Education and Shooting Coordinator Kyle Lairmore said.

Lairmore encourages turkey hunters to wear hunter orange while moving throughout the woods.

“Wearing hunter orange lets other hunters know that you’re in the area,” he said. “It’s also important to remember to never carry a harvested turkey in the open.  Be sure to cover them with a hunter orange vest or put them in a game bag.”

Lairmore added anyone in the woods during turkey hunting season should also wear hunter orange.

“This time of year we also have mushroom hunters, hikers, birders, and others sharing the woods with turkey hunters,” he said. “It is a good safety measure for these other outdoor enthusiasts to make themselves clearly visible to hunters.”

MDC also offers the following safety tips for spring turkey hunting:

Identify a turkey’s head and beard before aiming.

Never shoot at sound or movement. Assume it is another hunter until you can clearly see a turkey’s head or beard.

Wear hunter orange when walking through the woods.

Use hunter orange to identify your hunting location.

Wrap a bagged turkey or decoy in hunter orange when transporting it.

Dress defensively. Never wear red, white, blue, or black clothing because it resembles a turkey.

Be sure of your target and what lies beyond.

Never follow the sound of a gobbling turkey or attempt to sneak up on turkeys. Always call turkeys to you.

Sit against a large tree or other natural barrier to shield yourself from hunters approaching from the rear.

Shout “STOP” when another hunter approaches. Don’t move, wave, whistle, or make turkey calls to get their attention.

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Saint Francis is happy to welcome Dori Bigler, CPA, as Accounting Manager. In her new role, Bigler will oversee the various functions of the accounting department, including research, planning and personnel. She will also ensure that all general ledger activities are completed in a timely and accurate manner.

Bigler previously served as an accountant at Grey Hunter Stenn, LLP and as an accounting consultant for the City of Sesser, Illinois. She most recently served as Chief Financial Officer for the Shawnee Mass Transit District, where she oversaw a budget of about $4 million.

Bigler earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Accountancy degrees, with a concentration in taxation, from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. 

Saint Francis Medical Center is a 308-bed facility serving more than 713,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis’ major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Level III Trauma Center; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus.