Hummers!

Finally, I saw the female Ruby Throated Hummingbird tonight! She appeared at the new feeder that Queenee picked up a few days ago. I had two feeders last year, but as of yet they have not been found, and the cheesy "orange" feeder isn't getting any action.

About ten minutes after I spotted her, the male showed up. He didn't land to feed, but he made an appearance. She came back a couple times to stock up for the night. PopPop saw them both too, so it isn't just me anymore. I first saw him a day or two after the Baltimore Orioles showed up - we have one pair for sure, and maybe two pair of Bluebirds. I'm hoping to get a video of the Grackle Dance this year, but time is running out on that. I'd love to have a decent microphone next Spring to record some of the songs, especially the Robins. They are so ubiquitous, we don't think about them as being songbirds, but during the early Spring they have a very beautiful song. Once they've mated, they go into chirping mode and stop really singing, but for those two or three weeks, they really are something to hear.

Speaking of the Orioles, he is such a tease. I swear the one male follows me around the yard and sits just out of view outside my computer room window. I hung out some sheets the other day and he was completely fascinated by them and spent a good ten minutes flying from branch to branch looking at them and singing. When I'm outside combing the cats, he's always there to sing and watch. Of course, any time I have a camera handy, he takes a powder.