Hummers

    Blessing Before Dawn

        I have been watching several little amazing creatures.  Listening is almost better than watching them; they sound like mini-miniature helicopters, their wings flap about 55 times a second.  Their heart beats 21 times in that same second.  They weigh about a tenth of an ounce and pollinate 1000 flowers a day.  What's really amazing is that during migration they can fly 500 miles nonstop.  Yet because of their sound they acquired their name:  Hummingbirds. The past few rainy days have really made all the colors of the birds brighten, the western bluebirds are a striking sky-blue as well.
      Chad Pierson was the first to introduce these little miracles to me as he was fascinated by them and had "the hog of all hummingbirds on his porch," or so he thought.  I have several drinking feeders for them and have arranged them to hang by windows I am frequently at, the sugar water is 25% sugar (boil 4 cups water to 1 cup sugar, from friend, PK).  They also eat insects.  All in all, they eat their weight in food every day and spend the rest of the time sitting and watching which requires a lot of patience.   Happy Bird-watching.

sipping amongst the greenery

A view from the backdoor

Green hummer

western bluebirds in the grass