I’ve just taken an hour off work to get an early jump on
doing a couple of the things I love… well, one of the things I love, anyhow. I’m
going bird watching. It’s about a million degrees out there but I’m going
anyway. My mind is made-up. I’m about to put on some shorts and a light top,
and I’ll wear this really dorky sunhat, the kind with a big brim and a tie
string for under the chin. And of course I’ll carry my compact binoculars and water.
I have not seen an indigo bunting, a scarlet tanager, or even
a northern oriole yet this year. I prefer to look for inland birds as opposed
to shorebirds. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because inland birds tend to be
more colorful. Some of the best bird watching places are, believe it or not, cemeteries.
So maybe that’s where I’ll head. And heck, if the heat kills me I’ll already be
at my final destination.
Speaking of birds; my hummingbird feeder has a regular
visitor; a female hummer. She shows up just before I leave for work and then
again about 8PM or so, best I can figure. It’s not like I just stare at my
hummingbird feeder, after all. One evening just after sunset I went out by the
feeder and stood dead still with my face about 18 inches from the feeder. I
stood that way for about five minutes waiting for the hummingbird to visit. Unfortunately
that time the bird did not showed up. Hummingbirds have a tough time
recognizing a human when the human is motionless and quiet. The bird will come
right in, inches away. If the air is still and the person stands very near the
feeder, he or she can feel the wind made by the hummer’s wings as the bird
hovers at the feeder. It’s a pretty cool experience if you’re in to that sort
of thing.
Anyway, after my bird watching, I’m headed off to my fitness
center for some torture on the elliptical. Just writing that sentence makes me
grimace, but I’ll go, I always go.
This definitely brought a smile to my face. Your enthusiasm definitely comes across in your writing.
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ReplyDeleteI did not know that about hummingbirds... I'll have to use that trick and take some close-up photos!
ReplyDeleteI've always loved humming birds, but I don't think I've ever seen one in person in the wild. My mother used to hang up the nectar feeders and try to get them, but I never saw them. I know they're around though! Although I do get plenty of wild turkeys around my area! I might like cardinals better, but its close.
ReplyDeleteThey make this weird-looking mask that is made to look like a flower or two, designed to draw in a hummingbird. Attached to the front of the mask is this little feeder that's is similar to an eyedropper in size. If the person in the mask stays perfectly still a hummingbird will feed literally right before his eyes.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe I THOUGHT I saw my first hummingbird yesterday, and it ended up being a "hummingbird moth". Still the first time I've seen one of those tho! Very cool looking!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I have not seen a lot of hummingbird moths in my life. I have had perhaps 20 sightings or so. They're odd-looking things, but they are great pollinators.
ReplyDelete20 is still good! 19 more times than I've seen them! There were 2 of them in this case, going in and out of bell shaped flowers in my mothers garden, as a hummingbird does. She was convinced they were hummingbirds, until I got real close and told her they had a bunch of legs and insect eyes (not to mention, a bird wouldn't have let me get that close!)
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