Tap...Tap...Tap

Watching the little hummingbirds come to sit and sip at the feeder that I put out among flowers has given me no small amount of pleasure during this past summer. I love their tiny size and the intensity of their color. I love the way their wings move in a blur of speed. I love their dainty long beaks made especially for sipping nectar. I even felt like their protector at times, such as the day I caught the praying mantis sitting as still as death on the feeder, waiting for one of my pretties to come by to be his next meal.

The weather has been getting noticeably cooler here and leaves have started to change color. With the changing seasons, I knew it was time for the hummingbirds to migrate south. Since this is the last week of September I knew they would been packing their bags for their southward journey most any day. Because of the cooler weather, when I saw that the feeder was empty on Friday I thought little of it.

Saturday morning as I leisurely sipped my coffee and scanned Pinterest at the kitchen counter, I heard a tap, tap, tapping at the window. Turning to see who or what needed my attention outside, I was amazed to see one of my elusive friends tapping on the window. Because this had never happened before, I can only assume the little bird wanted to let me know that the feeder just outside the window was empty. Maybe these birds aren't so shy after all, maybe being speedy is just their nature, or perhaps they have always flown away from me quickly because they don't like being photographed.

I immediately went out and filled the feeder and the hummingbirds came for a sweet treat. Could be they were needing breakfast before they started on their long journey. Or maybe they just wanted to say goodbye after a wonderful summer.




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Arkansas Women Bloggers

Watching the little hummingbirds come to sit and sip at the feeder that I put out among flowers has given me no small amount of pleasure during this past summer. I love their tiny size and the intensity of their color. I love the way their wings move in a blur of speed. I love their dainty long beaks made especially for sipping nectar. I even felt like their protector at times, such as the day I caught the praying mantis sitting as still as death on the feeder, waiting for one of my pretties to come by to be his next meal.

The weather has been getting noticeably cooler here and leaves have started to change color. With the changing seasons, I knew it was time for the hummingbirds to migrate south. Since this is the last week of September I knew they would been packing their bags for their southward journey most any day. Because of the cooler weather, when I saw that the feeder was empty on Friday I thought little of it.

Saturday morning as I leisurely sipped my coffee and scanned Pinterest at the kitchen counter, I heard a tap, tap, tapping at the window. Turning to see who or what needed my attention outside, I was amazed to see one of my elusive friends tapping on the window. Because this had never happened before, I can only assume the little bird wanted to let me know that the feeder just outside the window was empty. Maybe these birds aren't so shy after all, maybe being speedy is just their nature, or perhaps they have always flown away from me quickly because they don't like being photographed.

I immediately went out and filled the feeder and the hummingbirds came for a sweet treat. Could be they were needing breakfast before they started on their long journey. Or maybe they just wanted to say goodbye after a wonderful summer.




This post was shared with:
Arkansas Women Bloggers

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Saving My Hummingbirds

I had heard that a praying mantis was a ruthless predator, but it still surprised me when I found one sitting in an ambush mode on my hummingbird feeder this week. Would he really attack a prey that much larger than himself? I had to Google it and find out. I found several online videos of praying mantis attacks on hummingbirds, and some are so vicious they should be preceded with a warning of impending violence. I learned that the praying mantis will actually eat the hummingbird over several days.

I didn't want to hurt the praying mantis because he is a friendly garden predator who will devour aphids, fruit flies, spiders, moths and other pests, but I had to protect my pretty hummingbirds. I got a stick and coaxed him to grab onto it, then transported him to a distant part of my garden. Hopefully he will find other nourishment and will not make his way back to the hummingbirds. I'll keep an eye out for him just in case. He is permanently assigned to the relocation program.



This post was shared with:
Arkansas Women Bloggers

I had heard that a praying mantis was a ruthless predator, but it still surprised me when I found one sitting in an ambush mode on my hummingbird feeder this week. Would he really attack a prey that much larger than himself? I had to Google it and find out. I found several online videos of praying mantis attacks on hummingbirds, and some are so vicious they should be preceded with a warning of impending violence. I learned that the praying mantis will actually eat the hummingbird over several days.

I didn't want to hurt the praying mantis because he is a friendly garden predator who will devour aphids, fruit flies, spiders, moths and other pests, but I had to protect my pretty hummingbirds. I got a stick and coaxed him to grab onto it, then transported him to a distant part of my garden. Hopefully he will find other nourishment and will not make his way back to the hummingbirds. I'll keep an eye out for him just in case. He is permanently assigned to the relocation program.



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Arkansas Women Bloggers

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Elusive Garden Visitors

I love to watch the hummingbirds when they visit the flowers and come to the feeder at my house, but when I raise a camera they all want to skedaddle away. They are such delicate, pretty little birds, but they move faster than you can blink. I managed to catch a couple of them today sipping from the feeder before they zoomed away out of sight.

There was at least one more hummingbird in the group, but these were the only two I was quick enough to photograph today. Hummingbirds are a delight to watch, just be prepared to watch quickly.

I love to watch the hummingbirds when they visit the flowers and come to the feeder at my house, but when I raise a camera they all want to skedaddle away. They are such delicate, pretty little birds, but they move faster than you can blink. I managed to catch a couple of them today sipping from the feeder before they zoomed away out of sight.

There was at least one more hummingbird in the group, but these were the only two I was quick enough to photograph today. Hummingbirds are a delight to watch, just be prepared to watch quickly.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad