September 9, 2014

The Hummingbirds Have Arrived!

September 9, 2014

When I talk about "migration time", I probably am talking about when the assorted birds pass through our area going to or from their summer and winter homes and they just pass through or stop to refuel for a bit.  Right now it is time for many of the birds to head south for the winter and although we have some hummingbirds which stay in our area all year long, right now the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have arrived.

Ron and I went to his mom's house to have supper with her this evening and there were a couple of hummingbirds at her feeders when I arrived.  After eating and visiting, I took my camera and went outside while she and Ron visited for a bit.  I do believe that many of the same hummingbirds return to her house year after year.  Often she has her housekeeper refill the feeders a couple of times a day.  The lady had filled them just before she left today and one was empty when we arrived.  Ron asked if she had more food made up for them and she said it was in the refrigerator.  He got it out and refilled the feeder with the cold mixture.  They loved it.  They preferred that feeder over the one that had been out for a few hours. 

Hummingbird on the feeder is a Buff-bellied Hummingbird 

which is the type we have all year around.

At my mother-in-law's house, the feeders are about 4 feet from the front door.  I can stand on her small front porch and take photos and they usually ignore me.  At least today they ignored me which makes me think they just arrived and are very hungry.  Sometimes when I am there, they fly up to me to investigate me and then my camera.  Sometimes they will fly circles around my head and chirp in my ear - a waste of time with this deaf person because they usually do it in the right ear which doesn't work.  With the Cochlear Implant, I can hear them as they whiz past and as they chirp at me and at each other.

My day was a little different than usual.  I got up and had breakfast and then a headache started so I didn't go to the office until the afternoon.  I am beginning to think that my headaches could be related to the tooth that has given me trouble ever since the new cap was put on a tooth beside it.  The dentist had said it was fine, but it is still sensitive to cold and I keep having the headaches.  I may have to go back and let him look at it again.

This Hummingbird and the next two are all the same bird.  

The bright red is not always visible.

I ended up sleeping all morning, so I didn't get anything done at home while I was here, but I felt fine when I did go the the office.  I had a few bills to pay and a deposit to prepare and take to the bank.  Ron left to do one errand during the afternoon and of course that is when it got busy, although I think he was busy while I wasn't there this morning.

I have several projects in progress at the office that I haven't been able to get to this week and tomorrow I need to send the monthly reports to the accountant. Once that is done, my work load lightens until the end of the month.

When I went to Ron's mom's I took her printouts of some of my blogs.  She never joined the computer world and I just figured out how to print out the blog entries.  I know she will enjoy the ones I took to her of the migrating birds at my house and the birthday celebration Sunday of our grandson - her great grandson.  I will have to print this one out so she can see her hummingbirds.  She has a place where she sits right beside the window that is behind these feeders.  I mentioned to her that the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were at her house but not at mine.  She said she had only seen one.  I think several arrived while I was out there because I told her I counted 7.  I expect she will spend the rest of the week beside the window.

This is Ron's mom, surrounded by the craft projects she loves and works on for hours each day.  She showed me a stack of recently completed counted cross-stitch pictures that she designed herself and other things she is working on.  She is amazing.  We had a good visit.  During supper I did have a little trouble hearing her, but not too bad. 

I had planned to go by the office supply store on my way home, but decided to come refill my hummingbird feeders instead to see if some will come to my house tomorrow.  It is interesting, she has always had bunches at her house, but one year I was swarmed with them and she had almost none.  We live about 5 miles apart.  Strange.

Buff-bellied Hummingbird