May 11, 2018

First Hummingbird

 


Last week, in a bout of wishful thinking, we got our hummingbird feeder out of storage, filled it, and hung it on our front porch. It was early, but better too early than too late. By the time the hummers get this far north, they are tired and hungry, and we wanted to be ready.

I can see our feeder from the kitchen window, and I kept an eye out for the first arrival. It took a few days, but on a rainy, cool day a bedraggled bird landed for a sip of food. 

It was our first hummingbird of the year, and it was a joyful moment. I am sharing two of Linda's watercolour paintings of hummingbirds, which are celebrations themselves of these tiny, tenacious birds.








Two types of hummingbirds visit our area - the rufous, and the ruby-throated. 

"Rufous populations declined across their range by almost 2% per year between 1966 and 2014, resulting in a cumulative decline of 62%, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. " - All About Birds

Ruby-throated hummingbird populations are strong. For now.

Both appreciate a little help along their journey with food sources - flowers in your yard, or feeders. Or both.

Happy bird watching.



5 comments:

  1. Anonymous5/12/2018

    Awww! beautiful paintings of beautiful little birds.

    Marieann

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous5/12/2018

    Linda, lovely watercolors of these tiny miracles! We'd love to see more! -Erin

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh what lovely artwork from Linda!! I was just gifted a hummingbird feeder. I still have to hang it up. Anxious to see some sweet little winged visitors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lucky you! Your feeder will yield many hours of pleasure for you, and much needed food for your birds.

      Try 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Some people recommend boiling the water first. We have well water, so do not have to worry about added chemicals, and just use it straight up from the tap.

      Enjoy this excellent addiction to your yard.

      Delete
  4. Wow, now this. Love these watercolors, Linda! Love the tiny winged ones who inspired them. Greetings to all. I love this blog and those who hang out here.

    ReplyDelete

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