July 29, 2003
Birdwatching
Apparently Ken's having the same luck we are:the return of the Hummers. Late in the spring we put out our hummingbird feeder but we saw no visitors. This wasn't unexpected as they tend to establish their feeding patterns a few weeks before that. So it was with great surprise we saw one appear a few days ago. With hasty effort we mixed up some fresh sugar water and refilled the feeder. Don't bother buying the mix, plain sugar and water works fine. Just don't fill it all the way. In the heat of the summer the feeder should be changed at least every 3 days. So unless your birds are consuming that much it's a waste to fill it.
Our visitor seems to favor feeding right as we're sitting there enjoying our breakfast. It's a green one, not quite sure what variety, possibly a ruby-throated female. I'll have to remember to keep the camera handy to catch the action.
We've got an amazing assortment of birds in the area. The morning hours are delightful. They're always glad when I mow the lawn for the access to bugs it seems to provide. It's such a nice switch from the urban wasteland of crows and pigeons at my old house.
