Tiny and Feisty, the Hummingbird

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The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

These are the amazing tiny birds that migrate up to the eastern part of the US to breed every season.

They weigh well under an ounce.

They can fly as fast as 60 mph and can maneuver forwards, backwards, up and down and can hover in one place by making their wings flutter in a figure eight movement.

They winter in Mexico and Central America!!

Imagine something so tiny traveling that far!!!

And they usually come back to the same exact breeding ground and most of the time the same feeders!

The sound made by their rapidly moving wings gives them their name.

Some people are concerned for this creature because of their small size but hummingbirds are actually quite hardy.  

They are feisty and fearless and will definitely defend their territories.  They are solitary creatures and are not often seen in large groups.  At feeders and around their nests they can be extremely aggressive and will chase other birds.

The adult male has the red throat and slightly forked tail.

The red is actually not a pigmented color but depends on the light and can sometimes appear black.  Both sexes have the iridescent green back.

The hummingbirds usually appear in Ohio from mid to late April.  I always try to have my feeders out by April 15th.

Hummingbird feeders are increasingly popular with Ohio residents and many people believe they have the same birds coming back every year.  Banding experiments prove this can be correct but many new ones also come.

Peak activity periods at feeders are early morning and late evening.  Many see increased activity before and after thunderstorms also.

Reproduction and Nesting

The ruby-throated hummingbirds are polygamous and the male and female only associate during mating.  The females build the nests, incubate the tiny, usually two, eggs till they are hatched and fledge.  (What a gal!!)

The young hatch in 14-16 days and will fledge about 21 days after hatching.

The hummingbirds nest is amazing.

It is so tiny, about the size of a ping-pong ball.

The inside is made of soft cotton and plant down and then plant parts are woven and intertwined with spiderweb silk to hold it all together.  Plant lichen is stuck to the sticky silk on the outside to camouflage it making it almost impossible to find.

I hope you will be so lucky as to attract some hummingbirds to your house.  

Put those feeders out there along with some flowers that they collect nectar from.

Favorite Plants For Attracting Hummingbirds

  

Annuals	Perennials	Vines	Shrubs
Fuchsia	Bee Balm	Coral Honeysuckle	Butterfly Bush
Impatients	Canna	Cypress Vine	Flowering Quince
Jacobiana	Cardinal Flower	Morning Glory	Lantana
Jewelweed	Coral Bells	Scarlet Runner	Manzanita
Petunia	Four O'Clocks	Trumpet Creeper	Mimosa
Salvia	Foxglove	Canary creeper	Red Buckey
Shrimp Plant	Hosta	Carolina jasmine	Tree Tobacco
Snapdragon	Lupine	Glory vine	Turks Cap
Nicotiana	Columbine	Cypress vine	Weigela

Good Luck.

They are the most amazing little birds.

Shirley

Added note:  Here's a YouTube video of a Nature Documentary on the World of the Hummingbird that is just fantastic.

Hope you take the time to watch it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b7S5mspnXE

Birds in My Yard

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I just put my hummingbird feeders out this past week.

I have two but have sent for another one.  A flat type that I think they like better.  

I usually get quite a few hummers.  I haven't seen one yet but they are due about this time .

I'm going to write a post about them in the next few days.

They are fascinating tiny little birds.

My blue birds have built a nest in their house that they build in every year.

I looked in there today and there are 4 beautiful blue eggs.  The mama was watching me so I left quickly.

Here's mama leaving the box.

My bluebird house is sure nothing fancy.  

In fact I was planning on getting them a new one this year but, too late now!

Here's another sign that Spring is really here.

Yellow finches turn bright yellow and leave their drab winter feathers behind.

It seems, especially this year, that it has taken forever for Spring to get here.  

But I am feeling hopeful now!!  

I love this season.

Shirley

A Moment's Peace

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Shhhhhh

Dexter's Training and The Little Bird

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Dexter has reached the part of his Invisible Fence training where I can drop the leash and let him drag it where ever he wants to go.  (with me following, of course)

He is doing really good and today he chased the cat to the fence line, got corrected by the fence and came right back to me in the yard.  Exactly what he's supposed to do.  

Other than the cat being the greatest distraction, and a strong one, he watches those flags carefully and doesn't go near them.

He is having a wonderful time exploring the yard.  This part lets him work out himself where his boundaries are and where his safe space is.

He heard a rustle in the leaves.

I'm sure he's thinking "Those darn #&@%$ flags!!!!"

Mommy, I think I found the chicken place!!


Today as I was sitting in the family room. I heard a bird fly into the window.  It was a hard hit and I went over to see if the bird was still alive.
He was blinking his eyes so I went out and picked him up.
A lot of times they are just stunned for awhile.

This is my finch feeders outside my family room window.  There's a lot of little finches that eat here!

It took him about 10 minutes to start to look around.

This is right before he flew away, back into the woods.

Good luck little birdie.  And watch where you're going!

Shirley

Blue Bird Saga

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I have a blue bird house that I set out in the early spring.  It usually always gets interested tenants.  I did have to clean out two sparrow nests earlier but then I recognized the blue bird nest.  They build a spiral, neat looking nest.

I saw them flying in and out, so about a week ago I checked it and felt 4 little eggs.  I didn't see them but they felt the right size.  

Today I decided to check again.  This time I felt something soft and one egg.

I stuck my iPhone in and took a quick picture.

It's kind of strange looking but maybe I've never seen birds this newly hatched. What do you think?

I watched for awhile from a distance and the blue birds are flying in and out so I guess that's a good sign.  

I'll check again an another week.

Shirley

P.S.
I just looked up some pictures on Google, of newly hatched blue birds and they look exactly like this so I guess everything is good!

Survival

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This morning when I looked out of my kitchen window, I saw a bunch of red feathers on the ground.  One of the barn cats must have gotten a cardinal.  That made me sad, but I know that's what they do.  They have always survived in a barn and been out door hunters.  I just hate when they get baby birds or my cardinals!!

A little later, I was sitting in the family room when I heard a bird hit the window.  That happens from time to time because the feeders are back there and there's a big expanse of windows.  I saw the little yellow finch hit and fall onto the bushes underneath.

I went out and picked her up.  She was alive and hadn't broken her neck.  She just seemed dazed and sat in my hand.  Her feet weren't working quit right yet.

I stroked her and talked to her and she was looking at me.  She sat there for almost a half an hour.

She was getting stronger and more alert, then stood up and flew up onto a tree branch.

She seemed fine.

So one bird didn't survive, but one did.

I guess that's life.
(I'm bummed I didn't have a camera handy though!)

Shirley

Reporting In on a Few Subjects

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I've been keeping watch on the bluebird's house.  There is now 5 little blue eggs.  The other day there was a robin sitting on top of the house and the blue birds were all in a tither and chased him away.

This is a lilac bush right outside my living room window.  I forget the name of it but it blooms later than the old-time lilacs and isn't as fragrant.

Progress on my chicken coop!

The inside is all painted and the outside is primed.  I'm going to paint the outside a sage green then think of something cute to decorate it.

My chicks are due to arrive in 6-7 days!!!!!!

Of course they'll be in the house in a brooder for a little while.

Monks training is going well.  He definitely gets the idea that the "flags are bad"!

Yesterday was the first day I took the cover off the prongs and he got "tingled" twice.

He didn't like it and ran back to me which is exactly what he's supposed to do. (He is on a leash of course)  He hasn't wanted to go anywhere near them again!

I think he's mad at me!!

Shirley

This and That

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No, I haven't fallen off the earth!  I've just been too pooped to post!  It's my own fault as I plan too much for everyday and then wait till the evening to get on the computer and just don't have any more brain cells that are willing to be active!

This week I did find something I've been going to buy for over $20 and I found it for $8 at my favorite little 2nd hand shop.  I wanted to get all my knives out of my drawer and into a block.  Makes it so much easier! 

Well, it's finally Monk's turn to learn about the Invisible Fence.  His training just started yesterday.  It will take about 3-4 weeks.  I've trained 4 other dogs to it and I've never had an escapee!!  It's the most wonderful invention!!

Monk doesn't seem all that enthused about it but he'll be glad to get off that rope and be free to wander about the yard.

I have bluebirds in my bluebird house.  This is their neat little nest and so far there's one beautiful blue egg in there.  I'll keep you posted.

Shirley

Blue Birds and the Foreign Egg!

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This is what a blue bird nest looks like in my blue bird house. It's neat; everything goes in a circle and it's made from pieces of straw and dried grass.

This is what I found in the nest after I didn't see the blue birds going in the box any longer.

This is NOT a blue bird egg!!!!

It a cow bird egg! It's slightly bigger than blue bird eggs and has brown speckles.

They go around laying their eggs in other nests and never stick around to raise their young!! Hmmmmm. Then the baby hatches and being bigger, it gets all the food and the other young birds die!

(This isn't the blue bird nest, it's just an old nest I found that I put it in for pictures.)

I waited for over a week and still no blue birds so I removed the blue bird nest from the box too.

Within a couple days the blue birds were back and built a new nest.

They were very smart and didn't lay eggs in with the cow bird egg!!

Now there are beautiful blue eggs in there.

Four of them!!!

I sat by the box trying to get a picture of the blue birds. They were around but after about a half hour I was ready to give up. Then all of a sudden she flew in. I missed the shot!!!!!!

I changed my vantage point and got this picture of her just ready to fly out.

Blue birds mean "Summer" for me!!

This post is linked with "Seasonal Sundays" at The Tablescaper:

http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

And "Outdoor Wednesday" at A Southern Daydreamer:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Shirley

Birds of Winter

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I'm linking my posting with Little Red House for "Mosaic Monday"

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

The winter birds outside my kitchen window.

They're all waiting their turn at the feeder.

Waiting for the storm to hit! Keep warm.

Shirley

Blue Bird Eggs

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Remember the bluebird eggs laid in the house with no nest??

Remember, I gave it sort of a nest?

Well It's been a month. Usually bluebird eggs hatch in 2 weeks. The mama came and sat on them for awhile but they haven't been around in the past week. So there will be no baby birdies. Sad, I know. Maybe they got too cold before I put the cloth in there, who knows.

So today I brought them in the house and put them in an old nest I've had on my mantle in the library. I will treasure them.

I cleaned out the blue bird box and can only hope that they will try again.

Shirley