Monday, April 20, 2009

Welcome Back, Little Hummers !

It seems like just a few weeks ago when I wrote a post about our hummingbirds getting ready to leave us for the winter. If you'd like, you can click here to read that story, which was called Saying Goodbye to Our Hummingbirds.

Here is our hummingbird feeder as it was a couple of weeks ago, all nice and clean and full of fresh hummingbird nectar (1/4th cup sugar to 1 cup of water).

I waited and watched and waited some more, and then, "lo and behold," our first little visitor appeared (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you'd like) ...

I took this picture looking through a window in my kitchen, so it's not as good as the ones in my post last fall ... but I was so excited, and was happy to get a picture of him.

I've seen two different ones so far, and hope to get some better pictures of them in the coming days.

I also hope to capture our cardinals with my camera. They're very skiddish, though, and I may not be able to do much better than these two pictures I took a few days ago (again, through a window) ...

Notice the sunflower seed he has in his beak ...

Hopefully, I'll have time one day soon to "stake out" our courtyard and get some better pictures. Do you have hummingbirds yet?

10 comments:

Loretta said...

Hi Janie,
This was such a sweet post. I love hummers and cardinals. My dad feeds the birds and he has 6 mating pairs of cardinals. Sometimes all the males are feeding together. What a punch of color when they are all together. The females seem to be a bit bolder when feeding probably because they are not as brightly colored making them less of a target. I wish you could have them for a pet like other birds. What a joy they would be to look at all the time. I did a post about hummers and the pictures are amazing especially the last one. If you have a moment please stop over and check them out. You will have to go back into my Feb. posts. If you love hummers you will love these pictures. (I didn't take the pictures, they were from an email that were sent to me by a friend) Thank you for sharing these pictures. By the way, I love the hook you have your feeder on. May I ask where you bought it. It is gorgeous! Have a great day. Hugs, Loretta

Lisa said...

Love your lil' sweet hummies! And thanks for the recipe. I always just buy the red stuff.

Sue said...

Hi Janie,
I am still loving that new lens of yours!! Hummingbirds are one of my favorites, I have put my feeders out and have seen one, but am looking for more soon. And that cardinal is absolutely stunning.
Thank you for sharing.
Blessings,
Sue

Deb said...

those are my favorite birds, I get a lot of hummingbirds, they like my four o'clocks, I have a pair of cardinals every year but the do not get close enough to take photos they stay back in the trees at the back of my lot, the males are so pretty

Zoe Ann Hinds said...

Here in southeast Texas, 90 miles or so east of Houston, we nornally have a lot of Ruby-troated hummingbirds. Since 2005 and Hurricane Rita, the numbers of them have been much less. This year I have yet to see any and based on passed years the birds should already be appearing here. I hope they will appear soon!

In my opinion, there is no need to buy the ready made nectar solution from the store. Making your own is so simple and cheap to do. Also, red dye should not be added to the nectar and by making it yourself you can make sure it doesn't have any in the nectar solution. The debate on red dye is still ongoing, but many experts believe it to be harmful to the hummingbirds. Besides, it isn't needed in order to attract the hummingbirds, because most of the feeders available for purchase on the market today already have some red on them and this will help attract the hummingbirds.

If you would like much more information about hummingbirds, please click the links below. The sites contain many articles about hummingbirds, video clips about hummingbirds, an informative tips booklet on hummingbirds, and much more.

Click Here To Visit About HummingbirdsHummingbirds For Mom

Anonymous said...

Spring is my time of year. The birds are singing before the sun comes up. Janie, you would have loved all the goldfinches at our feeder this morning. They were brilliant!

I see that P. Allen Smith will be in doing a Symphony Gardens Tour of Natchez May 1. I thought of you when I saw that.

Unknown said...

Hi Janie,
I do think I have some hummingbirds...but haven't been able to get their pictures yet!

Your photos are great...even if taken through the glass!

Salmagundi said...

No hummers around here yet! All I've seen was a bluebird in the snow the other day. Spring, let alone summer, really hasn't arrived here in the Colorado mountains yet. Have a great week. Sally

Beth at Aunties said...

Janie,

I really enjoyed this post and adore our Hummingbird friends. I miss them each winter when they leave.
Your feeder is beautiful and enjoyed the picture of the cardinal. We do not get them where we live.
It will soon be time for us to get our feeders ready. :)

Enjoy a great evening,
Beth

Anonymous said...

We have little hummingbirds in our yard. I love to watch them.

I just passed a blogging award to you. You can receive it on my Charlotte's Weblog blog.

Charlotte