not a pet but so nice to look at

[joy]

A friend just sent me this so I wanted to share with you all. I have only one dog and because my health and mobility is bad I plan on keeping it that way. I supplement my love of creatures by feeding the birds and squirrels and watching them. So I just loved these pictures of baby hummingbirds. I was glad for the tip that said the nest was about 30 inches high. We have a very thick bush at the corner of our house. I'm thinking now that this might be an ideal place for my hummers to nest. I'm going to investigate next time I am up to it and see if I spot any old nests. I would not be good enough to get these kinds of pictures even with the best camera I have. It would be neat for me to find an empty nest even, lol.

http://community-2.webtv.net/Velpics/HUM/

[lisa6wks]

Joy,
thank you for posting that! I did enjoy the pictoral story.

Lisa

[Buttons2]

I'm also gonna keep my eye out for their nests. We've had hummers here since Jan. this year.

I collect bird nests (have even sold some). I find them on my walks & I also used to collect bird feathers. One time I went fishing with my son to where the eagles eat the salmon on river bank......there were so many eagle feathers I gave many away!

One time I found a dead hawk,I brought it home & spread the wings out on plywood & as I recall I salted it to kill the bugs,etc. Then I gave it to an Indian guy to have for his collection.

I always see feathers that are fresh on the path in front of me as a sign that God is sending me a message......

But have to admit once I learned Lyme disease can be carried by birds I haven't been too keen on feathers anymore!

Plus I no longer collect moss from trees,has way too much bacteria in it!

Buttons

[Cry Tears]

Joy...thanks for sharing those pics.
Madi says "Oh they are sooooo ca-yuuuuuute!"
We love the birdies...I'll post pics of our birdy nest...enjoyed them each year. Same family comes back...we love birdies!
And Buttons...I had no idea moss is filled with oookies!
Maybe if I put in micorwave a few mins would kill bacteria, but not fungus.
I too collect bird nest...have 2 of them right now in garage storage.
But what to do with them? They're crawling with mites any time I find them, creepy crawly buggies...eeeek!
Thanks for sharing...cheryl

[Corky]

I had seen pics some time ago of Hum birds sitting on nest and feeding babies. Can you IMAGINE how small the babies must be??? I mean the heads of adults are barely marble size!!! My husb. and I have gotten into feeding birds in our bk. yd. as well as a lot of birdwatching in area parks and nature centers throughout our travels. We get hum. birds at 3 diff feeders in bk yd, in addition to all the other song birds and squirrels. The hum birds will even come right up to the feeder if we're standing right there beside it watering the flowers or talking at the fence with the neighbor!!! Guess they know that we're not going to fight over their sugar water!! ha ha


Marilyn;)

[joy]

On the way to my granddaughter's school this morning I noticed two things in a deep ditch, blue morning glory flowers and the tall yellow blossmed flowers that used to be on my mother's farm. It brought back nice memories especially the yellow flowers. We had a lot of those flowers at the edge of our property in the low run off part that is beside the lake we built. There would be such a noise at times that I finally had to inspect. It was many many hummers flying around those flowers feeding! Mother always had one or two feeders hanging on her front porch. At times there would be several birds around and I just thought that they were the same ones. I started watching and if you looked close enough you could actually see them fly from porch to the back of the farm where the flowers were! So there were so many hummingbirds that you could not count the numbers.

I am certain the ones that visit my house now are a single family. I can count at least 4 most days. If I had put out the feeder on time, there might be as many as 6 like some years. But they still like to chase each other away from the food and I have as many as 2 or 3 feeders in back and at least 1 in front at all times. I have more empty containers and will soon make enough to have at least 5 or 6 so they can start fattening up for their long journey before cold weather. I live in northeast Arkansas and they will stay until about the first or second week of October. Next year I hope I have their feeders out by the 8th of March at least. They will be sitting on the multiple hanger watching me otherwise, lol. When I have the one just under the kitchen window eve, the females sit and study me sometimes, especially when the food runs out.

I wish I could find a picture of the lady that sat outside and held out her hand with a feeder in it. She was holding a feeder in the palm of her hand I seem to remember and they was actually eating from it while she held it very still. Someone had sent in her picture to a radio station I think and won a prize. The picture was forwarded so many places that the woman later wrote she wished she had dressed better as her picture was seen by so many people. If I could find the link, she would be seen by many more as I would show it here, lol. I'm sure I deleted my e-mail though.

Yes I am always amazed when I see the pictures of coins and things at just how small they really are. To see one for real would be just such a treat.

[Cry Tears]

Here's a link...check it out....so darling!...awesome!
Sadly...all our birds have disappeared.
I've never had such an "empty" summer...but its been a very different year here...always raining...so unusual.
I have a thistle sock hanging...I put it up early spring...only 2" of seed missing, while my freind 200 miles north of here has them eating them empty in just days! I think she's hogging them all! Usually Gold finches and Pine Siskens...but lately...nada! nothing! Maybe a few Robins...well we do have Hawks...Eagles are up River...3 miles from here.
Have a wonderful day! Cheryl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLWRogsmtaI

[Cry Tears]

This ones really great...shows courtship of hummers, the nest building, baby feeding then growing up.
Can find other links to hummer movies/clips.
Enjoy! cheryl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMErQg0dFDs&NR=1

[joy]

Thanks Cheryl. I had already found a lot of links to hummingbirds. Well to a lot of animals actually as I google web cams and get all sorts of links. But it is the hummingbirds that I find most interesting and I can never get too many links for my liking.

At the lake when one lady ran the local store, she had three feeders and so many hummers it was impossible to keep count maybe 50 or more flying around. The next owner does not have any feeders hanging out. It did take a lot of work for the first lady, lol. The neighbors next to us had the property owners cut a hugh oak tree because they was afraid it would fall on them during a storm!! I hated that so much. I guess I'm to dumb to worry, lol. So now there is not a tree that I can hang my cut-out wood swirling caritures from and my feeders now. Many other trees, not as big, but the lower branches have been cut. Have a good weekend and I hope granddaughter had a nice first week of school.

[Lil E]

We have grape vines, a peach tree and an orange tree in the back, we get to see hummers all summer. I've had one fly up and stare at me from 6 inches away! They're very confident that they will not be hurt. We also get oriole nests in the orange tree and mourning doves in the grapes and in my hanging plants out front.

[joy]

Oh that sounds lovely. I have bever seen an oriole bird but sure would love too. When my mother was alive there was this little wren that loved to build her nest in mother's hanging baskets on her front porch. Many times she had to be so careful watering those plants to keep from soaking baby birdies, lol. But she loved it all. All that fruit and birds too, I am jealous, lol. We just have the usual flowers here and now it is only the strongest ones that come back all on their own. Some died down because of no water and I'm afraid they won't come back. We do have a mimosa tree in the far back yard between property lines with neighbors' and I can just make out the hummers in the blossoms sometimes. There are just a few still her but I suspect just any day to wake up and not see any.