Bird Watching

I spent a very pleasant hour or so yesterday sitting on our porch and watching the antics of the birds and bees and hummingbirds.  We now have at least two hummers, and I was pleased to be able to capture a few fairly good pictures of them.                        I was surprised to see this ruby-throated hummer, whose throat was more orange than ruby colored.    I discovered that the orange throat could be related to the bird's molting season.                   He finally landed long enough for me to zoom in on him, and he looked pretty "scruffy" up close, so I guess he is molting.  He spent at least five minutes just sitting and preening himself.      One advantage of having a long beak is being able to scratch your back ... I was amazed to see that he turned his head completely around.   Have you ever noticed that birds sometimes look as if they are frowning?  This sparrow didn't seem too happy about having his picture taken. Our cardinals weren't very happy about me being so close, either.  They were perched high in the nearby Bay Magnolia tree, not-so-patiently waiting for me to go inside so they could swoop down to their feeders. I loved capturing the hummers and cardinals, but the cutest little visitor of the day was a little mockingbird that captured my heart.  I saw him swoop down to the pond in our courtyard to get a drink, or so I thought ... but I soon saw water splashing and realized he was taking a bath! I so wanted to get pictures of him happily splashing and bathing, but I knew if I got too close he would fly away.  I waited for him to finish his bath and discreetly captured these pictures of him "drying off."  He seemed to be modest as he peeked over the edge of the rocks, watching me watch him. After a few seconds, I guess he figured I wasn't going away, so he shyly began to dry himself off by flapping his wings ... And ruffling his feathers.   In the next two pictures, you can see the water droplets flying off of him as he briskly dried himself.  He was so cute and sweet, and looked like a young bird. Isn't he adorable!  I wanted to hug him when I saw these pictures. Look how "fluffy" he is after his bath ... After he finished drying, he paused on the rocks long enough for me to capture a couple more pictures. I continued to take pictures of the hummingbirds during the afternoon, and hope to share more of them soon. They are such fascinating little creatures and I never tire of watching them.  Do you have hummers yet?

Spring is Bustin' Out All Over!

All those days of waiting and watching and counting the days until Spring seem to be behind us ... as Spring has finally made its presence known here in Vicksburg.  I saw my first butterfly yesterday, and a wriggly worm greeted me when I was digging a hole while planting some flowers. After taking its dear time, Spring seems to have arrived overnight ... slipping up on us, with buds popping out of nowhere, unfolding like flowers in a time-lapse photography scene.  Everywhere I look in our yard, I see new life. In the trees ... And flowers ... Even the honey bees and bumblebees seem excited!  It won't be long before these little Midnight Elephant Ears ...  Will look like this ... And the tiny leaves on this Lantana plant ... Will turn into a profusion of yellow blooms ... In the backyard, I was happy to see two little green Mexican Petunia leaves poking up through the pine straw ... Soon they will look like this ... I also found mint creeping in and amongst the stones on our path leading to the backyard ... I'll have to be sure and keep it under control or it will take over the path! Little green tentacles of my Asparagus Ferns are waking up and reaching for the sun ... And this Umbrella Plant will soon take over its corner of the pond ... I love these little leaf sprouts on our Chaste Plant.                                 It won't be long until they look like this ... The leaves on the Japanese Maple tree in our courtyard are almost ready to transform it into a blaze of color.  Soon ...  And in the meantime, while all of these awesome transformations are happening, our heron, Harry, will be tending this urn of purple Petunias.  I can tell by the look on his face that he, too, is very happy that Spring is finally here.  Here are some close up shots of those petunias that I captured when the late afternoon sun was filtering through the petals. I hope Spring is bustin' out all over where you live, and you can take time to see God's glory up close and treasure each and every "how great Thou art" moment while watching His beautiful world unfold with new life.