Hummingbirds are Hanging Out

Apr5

Still on my hummingbird kick. They’re starting to let me get closer. I *think* this is a Rufous. The neck can look brown when the sun doesn’t catch the feathers. Oh, and I’m finally playing with watermark PRO. Thumbs up at this point, very easy to use.

This is a Rufous – when the sun hits the male, his iridescent-red throat shimmers.

A whole cluster of the migrating Rufous are doing their best to own all of the feeders.

Not sure what’s up with the green shimmering, green is not mentioned on the sites I use, which is why I’m not sure if the top photo is a Rufous (Cornell University’s All About Birds).

Been training them to eat from a handheld feeder – they don’t always wait for me. So far, Anna’s are the only ones who’ll use the handheld when I’m holding it. The migrating ones are a bit more skittish (of me, they’re not at all shy about attacking the Anna’s). I’d seen this one, Birds and Blooms handheld hummingbird feeder how to, and immediately ordered some glass test tubes on eBay and replacement glass flower feeder tubes. Having fun with it.

The Anna’s do manage to get to the feeders. The just aren’t allowed to camp out as long.

Saved the best shot for last. Don’t you just love those itsy feet hanging on to the edge of the glass flower?

Check out the other photos people are sharing over at Unknown Mami’s Sundays in My City.

Feisty!

Mar31

Rufous Hummingbird

I’m not a bird watcher by any means, but where I can, I do try to figure out who the visitors are in my neck of the woods. With our severe California drought, gardening for wildlife and putting out food and water can make a difference. I rely on the info from Cornell Ornithornology’s All About Birds easy website. For instance, if I want to attract, feed or figure how to help out our local goldfinches or western bluebirds – I can put that into search and all kinds of wonderful info (including sounds, birds that look similar, favorite foods, nesting habits and a range map) comes up.

This also tells me that the current bully at the feeders, the Rufous hummingbird, is “The feistiest hummingbird in North America. The brilliant orange male and the green-and-orange female Rufous Hummingbird are relentless attackers at flowers and feeders, going after (if not always defeating) even the large hummingbirds”. And, it lets me know that they are migrating (if only I could tell my poor harassed Anna’s that these transients should soon be gone, they just need to hang in there!). I’m enjoying the Rufous as I do only get to see them for awhile each year and, so far, the Anna’s are holding their own.

Anna’s Hummingbird female

Anna’s Hummingbird

Anna’s Hummingbird male

Feeder Quarrels

With my Master Gardener hat, I’ve been sharing a great deal about birds and butterflies on our Facebook page. I’ll see if I can’t make some time to create a few posts on the topic and share them here.

Shrouded in Mist Sunday

Jan9

Today, Sunday, it’s that kind of fog that envelopes your being and hides all in its embrace. Reminds me of Mists of Avalon – it is so dense, I feel I should be able to part a path through it at will. Having grown up on the ocean, I expect to hear the forlorn call of a foghorn echoing through this mist. Love the allegories of mists (thus the mists and enchantments blog name) but haven’t yet captured it well on film. Here are a few meager attempts.

My efforts with the camera were delivering lots of muted foggy pictures with no way to get a focal point. Working on the computer by the kitchen window, I’d darted out a few times, also tried shooting from inside through the window but was only rewarded with blurry birds. Finally, a tad of success. With patience, my hummers always come through for me. They’re faster in the winter as the fights for the feeder are more intense – to get this shot I have a multitude with the feeder but no hummer or a blur. Decided with fog the theme to leave top of background tree in view, which meant I couldn’t crop the edge of the roof.

The fog was there at 8, had receded about 10 and came back with a vengeance at 11. At 1pm, I remain shrouded in its impenetrable presence. These are simple records, uncropped, un-manipulated.

The sense in gazing at this tree is to be travelling towards the mystical faeirie “Undying Lands”.

But, I am not. I’m in the here and now blogging away with a list of things to do. Sunday is that last chance to completely indulge in my own focus before the work week comes crashing in with all its demands.

On the agenda is some type of sourdough. If you’ve not kept sourdough before, you should know that it get’s grossly ugly in the fridge. As long as it doesn’t turn pinkish, die or mold – it is truly fine. If it’s dead, it won’t spring back to life and bubble and grow when you feed it (sounds like a vampire – feed me and I grow J ). The grayish water on top is the hooch – the driving reason that gold prospectors kept their sourdough alive and well cared for, baking simply a secondary benefit. (If you use whole wheat flour, the hooch will be browner than grey). It is flat coming out of the fridge, but, stir and feed it for growth and yeasty bubbles.