Our most frequent avian visitors still seem to be these hummingbirds! We only have the ruby-throated ones in Missouri, and I'd love to see some of the other colorful little creatures.
When I sit out on the deck in the morning, close to the two feeders near my studio, I'm astounded at how tiny these are! It's fun to listen to the buzz and whir of their wings and their tiny chittering voices...
When I used to have a regular column in Country Living magazine, I mentioned that I'd never seen a hummingbird's nest. This delightful old woman sent one to me, that her father had found when she was a little girl. She said that she was old and passing along her treasures and she couldn't imagine anyone who'd like the nest more.
I can't either. I treasure it, to this day. It must be close to 80 years old, now...
Take a peek at Dan Kaiser's wonderful photo, with a penny for scale! This one has an outer layer of lichen; mine seems to be made of mullein leaves, soft, grayish and fuzzy...
Wonderful post! & sketches! JUST GOTTA Love those hummers!! We've got a ton of 'em. 100+ Been feeding & attracting them for 20+ years and And I have YET to see a nest. Love the pic. of the nest. Would love to see a photo of yours too!!
ReplyDeleteNext time I'm at my old cabin I'll shoot a picture!
ReplyDeleteI love hummers. We have three kinds here. Rufus and Annas being the colorful ones and another the name escapes me at the moment. It's not as pretty. When we lived in So Cal we had a large tree that was as tall as our building & hummers would build nests in it so we could watch the whole process out our window and so could our cats. They usually would only hatch one egg for some reason. They can be curious creatures too. I could be out working in my Garden and have company down where I was working Checking me out. Great memories here. BTW I am almost thru reading your new book and it's wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHow you captured the 'Hummers' in inaction is terrific. Love your drawings.
ReplyDeleteChris, I didn't know they were curious! And Sandra, thank you. They're amazing little birds.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful sketches! They are such fascinating little birds! I illustrated a book on them a few years back, I was amazed at how many varieties there are. Having always lived in the Mid-Eastern US, the ony ones I've seen close up are the ruby-throated ones, glorious little jewels on wings!
ReplyDeleteNice blog!
Pat
I love this! You've captured them perfectly! I found a dead ruby-throated hummingbird when I was a child, and was so entranced by those jewel-like feathers that I saved it in a shoebox under my bed. Not what my mother wanted to find a few days later...
ReplyDeletePat, how cool! I'd love to see your book...
ReplyDeleteAnd ewwww, Elizabeth! I'll bet your mom was NOT thrilled!