Photo submitted by Bill Neumann

A swarm of hummingbirds press in close around one of Bill Neumann's feeders outside of his cabin on Farm Island this month. Between his three feeders, the bird-watcher estimates about 75 specimens this season. Normally he has counted anywhere from 150 to 200 birds by this time in the season, making this year's count leaner than usual. A group that big – called a "charm" of hummingbirds – can go through five gallons of nectar a day, or 135 pounds in a summer by his reckoning.