Hummingbird Adventures #4

Great pictures Sharon, what fun you had. Hope they return for you.

I finally had a warm enough day I could stay outdoors long enough to take pictures.

Another.

Last one.

I have them year round here, but usually just one Rufus.

Good pics, Sis!

Thank you, I'm happy for first try, I was sitting on the swing and didn't want to get up and scare them. If I can stand by the post on the edge of the deck, I could get some closer ones. My usual guy wasn't here today, but then I was out in the yard all afternoon, this one showed up after I sat to rest a bit.

what a cutie!

Sis, if your camera doesn't zoom that far, try taking pics at the highest resolution and then crop them with Picasa.

I had a pretty high resolution, but when I cropped them, the color didn't look right. Have to see if it goes higher, I think it does. Thanks.

Good job Sally! I'm proud of you. Can you put a chair closer to the feeder? That's what I've been doing. Then I move the chair closer a little bit every couple of days. They will get used to you over time.
Sharon that was some great photography and a wonderful story to go with them. I'll be checking closer for nests.
I'll look for the black specks, but those might be hard to find in the gh.
Sunnyg, I was wondering about the behavior of the one female in the gh. She has no problem with me when I'm near the feeder, but as soon as I approach the covered swing in the back of the gh, I've been getting buzzed and cussed at. She has a spiderweb at the top of the banana which looks kind of torn up. There is moss too, and I suspect that she may be using some dried bougainvillea blossoms for camoflauge. Don't want to disturb her or any possible nest.
Here she is looking plump.

A frontal view.

Thanks SW, I will try to move closer. Wasn't planning on hummer pics today, just happened to have the camera in my pocket.

Zoom just before dark. Some days, I'm just happy to get some color.
In the far back left hand corner of the photo you can see the covered swing that the female Zippy has been defending.
She will spend the night in the gh. Zoom always leaves, lately I've just been leaving the door open wide enough for the hummers to fly in/out. I had to put a board up so that the cats don't try to get in below the feeder height.
They are really competitive at the outdoor feeder at dusk. I can't get decent photos, so I'm just going to watch, and enjoy!
Thanks for sharing your adventures too! I hope your friends come back Sharon. Keep us posted Sunnyg.
Always puts a smile on my face!
WIB,
SW

Sally,
You weren't even trying? You just happened to be walking by and got those photos! Talk about good luck!
Well done!
Can't wait to see what happens when you are trying! LOL!
WIB,
SW

Imagine my shock when I saw two male Anna's sitting at the feeder this morning! They each had a nice long drink and then flew off with no fighting!

Did you add Valium to the feeder?

Ima, Will you add some to mine?
KC, how exciting! They were probably cold and had empty tanks.
Been sunny up here, and I haven't seen a single hummer all day. The syrup level has dropped considerably though, in both feeders.
Need to stay awake, so I'll go out and try to get some photos. Don't know how that will work when I went and took a fall last night, bonked my head, and sprained my left wrist. I'm such a klutz! Sitting down won't hurt though and it is a beautiful day outside.
More later.
WIB,
SW

No Valium if you have a possible concussion, girl! Between you and mom, you're the Gimp Squad.....

Hopefully you're right-handed and can still snap the shutter on your camera, and someone is available to bring you nice cool, soothing lemonade?

{gasp} SW!! That's an awful thing to do to yourself. And you HIT YOUR HEAD?! Geez! Please, be careful. That is so dangerous.

OMG, are you ok? What a frightening accident.

Ummm, but I must agree with Imapigeon, you need to keep taking pics, girl. I mean, if not you, then who? LOL

Linda

I've got a hard head. Ask anyone in my family they'll tell you it's so. It's still tender, and my head aches (as well as a few other places I didn't even know I hit!). There is a small hole in the wall. I guess it's my own fault. I try to keep clear pathways, but something I didn't know was there rolled under my foot.
I can type with either hand. It's not as bad as it was. For awhile, (after the accident), I kept typing everything with the wrong hand. What I should have been typing with my right I was typing with my left. Then I started typing words backwards, but now I am pretty good unless I start trying to type as fast as I think. Then I make a lot of mistakes, and forget to punctuate.
DH said it was a mighty bang. Yes, I was frightened, 4th time in a month I've fallen. My Rheumatologist is not going to be happy.
I have been able to take some photos, and to take care of Mom's wound care. I'm sore and I'm tired, but I'm trying to keep her up all day, so she will sleep at night instead of walking around and hurting herself. My anxiety level is high. Don't do drugs unless they are prescribed and I just can't stand the pain anymore. Refuse to take them if I have to drive. Didn't take them last night, so I didn't get any sleep either.
It would be better if I could take them when I'm supposed to. Hope is on the horizon. DH has scheduled ES for his Driver's test. This past Friday, DH took YS in for his written Dr. License test. He passed. Pretty soon they can drive me around. LOL!
Am allergic to citrus, but I've got me a glass of my favorite Classic Coke. Then it's back to water.
The guys are hacking (oops they call it hoeing) up the back yard. Probably why I haven't seen any hummers yet today.
More later if I get any good shots.
Walk (or in my case Stumble) In Beauty!
SW

Well, SingingWolf, welcome to my world. I am 66 and I started falling about two years ago. Been told I have a balance problem when my eyes are closed. Well I do not walk with my eyes closed. My problem is I cannot talk or maybe think and turn at the same time. The first time I fell I was on my early morning summer walk of the golf course cart path just before sunrise. I had turned to see if the sun was up because if it was I would stop for a few minutes and enjoy the beginning of the day. Well the sun was not up but it was light. I turned and started walking forward at the same time. I found out I cannot do that. The next thing I knew I was falling forward in slow motion, my water bottle flying through the air and then I hit the path face first. Broke my nose, glasses and pride. I am still falling but less often. I fell twice in January, once in February and twice in March. I am always falling in the garden. I am not old enough to have this happening to me. I would never pass a DUI test cold sober. I did get me ski cross country poles to help maintain my balance because I have a multi level, many boulders in my landscape. SingingWolf, I will guarantee you you have a nest being built. If you just sit near by and wait, she will show you where she is building her nest. Picture of some of my boulders.

Skwinter, I'm not 66 and I'm already falling! Wonder if a couple of those little levels with bubbles in them and on the toes of our shoes might help us. Nah, we'd have to watch the bubbles, not the surface. Hmmmm.

My hummer frequented my feeder all afternoon and evening. I was too busy with gardening to try to water her, but I'll start out tomorrow evening. Hmm, maybe evening's not such a good time as she'll know she won't dry off before evening cool temps arrive. She'd fly in and out both directions each time, as if she was moving from my feeder to someone else's feeder and back again.

Are there any special flowers they frequent in such a manner? My pink jasmine is finally blooming and the back yard smells so sweet!

Linda

This message was edited Apr 5, 2009 9:38 PM

It wasn't me, I didn't do it, but my YS's friend did. He climbed up on the roof to chase off my cat (because he can!), and saw four hummers perched in that Wisteria. He managed this photo. He is such a great young man.
Thanks for all the concern, sometimes I do have to use a cane. I have hilly terrain on my place, and walk the hills in the mornings with my dogs. Hadn't thought about using ski poles for balance. I wonder what we did with that old set. I bet I could get some down at the thrift store.
I have fibromyalgia, and balance problems. So I'm catching up with you fast, skwinter. I'll be checking for hummer nests. I've done some cleanup in that area, and haven't discovered anything else, but then like I said DH and the kids were "hoeing" the back yard and they stayed away while the guys were out there. Wouldn't even come into the gh, until dusk.
Til the morrow!
WIB,
SW

What a great shot! Looks like a family to me, but maybe it's too early in the season.

Linda, the hummers particularly like trumpet-shaped flowers with deep throats they can stick their beaks in and nobody else can.

Wonder if this penchant we have for tripping & falling comes from trying to multi-task too much----SOOO many things to do and see....LOL!!

Could be. Bless Jonathon's heart, he is helping me out with housework, and with Mom! What a great guy!
Had a small dogastrophe this morning. I had left the gh door open and the short barricade down (prevents the cats and dogs from fooling around in my gh), and the dogs came barreling in and knocked the freshly refilled feeder into the pool. I kicked out the dogs, fished out the feeder, and hopefully they'll be using it today.
Can't wait to show Jonathan your comments. He'll be jazzed.
Hope to get some good photos this afternoon.
Still stiff and sore, but I'm moving better. Except my left earlobe is bothering me still. LOL!
WIB,
SW

You need big HUG!
(((())))

imapigeon, I think you hit the nail on the head. I am always going as fast as I can doing at least 3 things at a time. My DH always says that my ADHD is showing. He is just jealous because we all men can only do one thing at a time...LOL.

Thanks for the hugs, Imapigeon. Right back at you! ^_^
Women are just used to juggling ten different things at once, skwinter.

Okay, this has been a fun thread so far, but our dial up friends need to be considered too, so I started a new thread of the continuing adventures of our H.bird friends.

Here is where to go to join us for more fun! http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/972304/

Hope to see you all there, including you lurkers! LOL! You are still participating, just by viewing. It's all in fun, so let's have some!

Walk In Beauty!
SingingWolf