Showing posts with label hummingbird on geranium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hummingbird on geranium. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Southbound




Two chilly nights and southbound geese overhead have me thinking about seasonal changes. Hummingbirds are tanking up for their trip to the Yucatan. Early in the morning, and just before dark, their activity around the feeders is intense.

The sun has warmed the rocks on the south side of the house, and I lean against them, facing the feeders, which are only a few inches away. It's an excellent place to observe the small winged warriors. Supper is over, and while Don watches a spy movie, I spend the pleasant part of an hour there, absorbed by their acrobatics, their chirps and the hum of their wings. Occasionally one of them hovers just in front of my face, trying to ascertain what kind of a creature is sharing their space, and I steel myself not to flinch. Their battles over the sugar water are swift and fierce. 




They fly back and forth between the feeders and the geraniums.




In a flowerpot at my side is Firecracker Cuphea, a plant the little birds also love. They light on the springy stems, riding them down almost to the ground, then up, pendulum-like, all the while pumping nectar out of the sweet purple and red blossoms. 

As the sky darkens, the chirps of the hummingbirds give way to the sounds of the night. I head inside, refreshed by the ambiance of the evening. And in the spy movie, the good guys win. 







Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Camera-Shy





A ruby-throated hummingbird
Has found a ruby throne
Before a single leaf has stirred
He's made it all his own.

And from the kitchen windows
I watch him sit and preen
But when the flush of daylight grows
He's nowhere to be seen

I'd like to get a picture snapped
Beneath a clear blue sky
  But I suppose I must adapt--
My friend is camera-shy.