hummingbirds

In the little garden just outside my office, I have a few bird feeders set up. Mostly little sparrows and, more recently, lazuli bunting. I love watching them fly about, chattering and arguing about who is entitled to which perch.

Beneath the feeders, even more little birds hop about and eaten the fallen seeds on the ground. There are also little ground squirrels and big fat tree squirrels picking through the blanket of seed husks for something dropped–not just discarded.

Frequently, we see cottontail rabbits passing through or digging into the red topsoil and stretching out in the cooler dirt beneath

My favorite, though, are the hummingbirds.

They arrive in mid-to-late April and stay through early fall.

This year I was ready for them, and had several feeders set up as soon as I saw the first one. In the last two weeks or so, the little birds have really increased in number. It rained today, and the temperature didn’t climb above mid-40s, but the hummingbirds were out in force.

At one point, I saw 6-8 of them drinking from the feeder at the same time, while still others buzzed around them.

Mostly, they spend their time defending the feeder (very territorial, these birds) or trying to slip in and get a drink.

I walked out this evening and stood very still right next to the hummingbird feeder. I’d say I was about a foot or less away. Before too long they came back to the feeder and were as active as ever. I recorded a video as I stood. Quite an experience having them hover near, checking me out, or buzzing my head as they flew past.

Here’s the video:


 

Bonus, here’s Castleton Tower, Priest and Nuns, and Adobe Mesa lit up during sunset: