Monday, August 10, 2009

Hummingbirds are difficult to catch


I took a few pictures while I was outside enjoying the evening sun. This wonderful view to the south is named Castle Cove (also known as "my" mountain). Then I focused closer to the house on our little hummingbird feeder.






I realize that lots of people have hummingbirds and there are tons of hummingbird pictures out there in cyberspace but I still want to make a contribution from my backyard. We have only one pair that returns every summer. This year I think just one baby survived which means we have a grand total of three hummingbirds at our feeder. Some feeders get countless little birds fighting over the sweet nectar which makes for entertaining viewing. I enjoy having just a few. The other day I rescued one of them from our garage window. It flew inside and didn't know how to escape. Those little birds feel so light. It's amazing how far they migrate when the time comes, up to 20 miles a day!

"A flash of harmless lightning,
A mist of rainbow dyes,
The burnished sunbeams brightening
From flower to flower he flies."
-- John Bannister Tabb

To see other places people enjoy living or visiting, check out My World Tuesday.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

They truly are magnificent birds and they do fly great distances. We welcome new ones here every year but this July was the coldest ever recorded so we only got a couple of stragglers. Those feed mostly from the bushes in bloom -- from honeysuckle to canna lilies. They seem to do well so we no longer have a feeder with sweet water.

I enjoyed your prose as well as your pictures.

Esther Garvi said...

There are no hummingbirds in Niger, so I'm glad you shared those from your backyard!

Anonymous said...

I loved pics of your little visitor, & the poem too!

Sunny said...

You are so lucky to get such great pictures. They sure are difficult to catch!
Sunny :)

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Loran, I love seeing pictures of hummingbirds--wherever they are. We have a few this year --but not nearly as many as we usually have. I still haven't gotten a picture.

Also--I love 'your' mountain!!!!
Hugs,
Betsy

DeniseinVA said...

I can never get enough hummingbird pictures as I have never actually seen one except in photos like yours. I enjoyed the poem and all your photos were lovely. Thanks for sharing them. Thanks also for stopping by and leaving nice comments on my blog. I do appreciate them. Have a great week :)

Sylvia K said...

What lovely shots! And they are indeed, marvelous birds! Beautiful words and photos to match! Perfect post for the day!

Have a great weekend!

Sylvia

Linda said...

Hummingbirds are never commonplace to me, since we don't have them. I would never tire of watching them.

penny said...

Wow they are amazing photos you captured, you must have been thrilled to pieces...

Reader Wil said...

Great to see hummingbirds in one's garden. We don't know any hummingbirds here! Thanks for sharing!

Arija said...

What a glorious view you have both near and far!

Joe Todd said...

Both my neighbors have feeders so I get to watch the hummingbirds as they fly back and forth. Thanks for the post
Joe Todd

diane b said...

How clever to capture the fast little things. I haven't seen any before on blogs and I enjoyed your story and information.

Happily Retired Gal said...

I do love to watch the hummingbirds in my yard as they visit my citrus trees, but I've not had much luck capturing any with my camera. Thanks for sharing ;--)
Hugs and blessings,

April said...

Lovely pictures and poem!

Rita said...

I love hummingbirds. They are so beautiful to watch, suspended in space enjoying the nectar. And the irridecent colors are lovely. Great photos!!

Louise said...

I can't imagine only 3 hummingbirds. We start our season slow, but right now there are at least a dozen. At my dad's house in Missouri, there are 30-50 all summer. But a smaller number would be less tiring. All the fighting can be wearisome!