The number of winter visitors this year seems to be down. And as NewsChannel 7's Kristina Hamilton tells us the snowbirds she spoke to are blaming the recession for their friends being absent this year.

Ed Palmer is a painter and jewelry maker from Michigan, but this artist is also a realist and says there's no way of getting around the fact there just aren't as many snowbirds as in year's past.

"We got here on the first of december and knowing that maybe with the economy the way it is that it would be a little bit slower but it seems to be a lot slower than i thought it would be," says Palmer.

Grace Gilchrist a Minnesota Resident agrees, "Oh there are many people who are not here because of the economy."

"I think maybe it's a little bit down uh....the diehards are here the real regulars, says a Arizona Resident Tammy Stemman.

But the smaller crowd isn't keeping these diehard regulars from woodworking and quilting.

Most of the snowbirds will sell the items they're creating in the Annual Noah's Ark Arts & Crafts Show in February.

Some of the snowbirds we spoke with from Noah's Ark Club say their membership's down about 20 percent for this time of the year, but their hoping after the first of January that will all change.

"And hopefully some people will be coming back in the january and february and march too, but i think people are holding back for a month or two and saving some money and still coming back in january so i think we're gonna see that it's going to pick up," says Palmer.

If you're a snowbird and would like to get involved in the Noah's Ark Snowbird Club you can find their 2009 calendar at the website listed below.