Put up the hummingbird feeders today.  According to my notes from previous years, they should begin showing up in the next week or so.

:)

Best,

George

Ours are a little slow showing up so maybe we're early too. Have a few, looking forward to more like last year.

Saw the first one at our feeder this past weekend!

We put our feeders up 2 weeks ago but haven't seen any yet either.

Anyone want our flock of Woodpeckers?
With over 30 trees on the property, it's unsafe to walk out into the yard..they are chewing up the new growth, and dropping it on our heads!!

Woody, go HOME! And take your extended family with you!!!

...damn cats are useless, I tell you!!!

Cathi

Haven't seen a hummingbird ever in the neighborhood, probably the flowers they like to visit are sparse and far-flung to make any home, but have learned lots about them on this site over the past few years.

But in the way of bird-talk, I've noticed a change here through several decades.  In the eighties, much farmland was cleared in the outskirts to the north for subdivisions of the housing boom then.  Large blackbirds started to appear in pairs, don't know if they're crows or ravens but all black and large, about a foot tall, never seen before previously.  Very loud in the morning with their caws.  I'd imagine they had been dispersed from their usual habitat and some came toward the city, as a few coyotes did. 
  Previously the predominant aggressive bird was the blue jay, which over time seemed to disappear.  Many times a very small pair of sparrows could be seen through the sky trying to harass one of these large black birds while it flapped onward unperturbed. 

The last couple years now the big birds disappeared, locating eventually elsewhere, somewhere more suitable I guess, and just yesterday I saw my first blue jay again.  It was too close to a robin's nest and the male was flying about concerned. 

Things seem humming along normal again.   :)

Weather permitting, I will be putting up my hummingbird feeders this weekend.  Spring is definately here.  Mama goose is now off her nest with baby gooslings.  They hatched a week ago.

I hear ya about the woodpeckers, Cathy.  For some reason they really like my aluminum gutters this year (early every morning).  I keep thinking it is my phone on vibrate.

A couple of years ago Kev, we started getting the same thing: Oversized crows no doubt from a nether world. These things have been trying to kill me for two years now and are really pissed off when I show up in the back yard. Our blue jays are tough though. They could care less.

We even get a blue bird once or twice in winter up here. The things are beautiful. No one in my neighborhood has a hummingbird feeder though. Too bad because bird watching is BIG here because of Roger Tory Peterson.

Charlie

Charlie wrote on Apr 28^th, 2010 at 10:38am:

...we started getting the same thing:  Our blue jays are tough though.

Oh yeah, they're tough, lasted here many years before giving ground to apparently compete elsewhere. 

Damn loud residents after dawn's light, but big birds gone, jays are back in familiar stomping grounds.


Hugely lit low horizon full moon in the western morn darkness today.  Never alone outside even in the earliest with the robin population, mighty early melody-makers.   :)

O.K. forget the fact that the Redbud, Iris' and Lilacs are blooming.  Tonight Jim and I were having a glass of wine out on our back deck and I saw our first fire-fly (lightening bug).

Tis Spring offically for me now.  Bring it on!!!!!!

George wrote on Apr 27^th, 2010 at 8:52pm:

Put up the hummingbird feeders today.  According to my notes from previous years, they should begin showing up in the next week or so. Best, George

LOL, not likely where I live, I woke up this morning to snow on the ground.

We do get humming birds, but not until the summer.

Paul

Cant' have a hummingbird feeder here.  Cats would think that I was providing them with a snack.  Several bird species are courting here and they make a bad mistake and do it on the ground.  Then Graybaby has himself a snack.

OTOH, I saw a firefly couple of weeks ago.  For years, you didn't see them (or not very many).  Quite a few were killed off due to pesticides.  They are making a comeback.

Got plenty of mourning doves and whipporwills though.

We have bushes of fireflies that look like Christmas lights - but not until late June or July.

I don't put out hummingbird feeders because I grow all the flowers they love.  They dive-bomb me if I get too close to where they want to feed.  The males are very territorial and can be quite aggressive.  And NOISY.

Mosaicwench wrote on Apr 29^th, 2010 at 12:31pm:

We have bushes of fireflies that look like Christmas lights - but not until late June or July. I don't put out hummingbird feeders because I grow all the flowers they love.  They dive-bomb me if I get too close to where they want to feed.  The males are very territorial and can be quite aggressive.  And NOISY.

And they have scared the living shit out of me on numerous occasions.

I had a seagull shit on my head once.

It's snowing such big flakes it would take a humming bird to the ground.  It 's spring in Montana.

           Potter

Potter wrote on Apr 29^th, 2010 at 4:34pm:

It's snowing such big flakes it would take a humming bird to the ground.  It 's spring in Montana.            Potter

Snowing here, too, somewhere around 5000 feet.  I can see it coming down in the upper part of the foothills.  Just muck here in the valley, though.

Could be this cold front will hold them to the south until it passes. 

Best,

George

PS, bonkers--wear a hat, dude.   ;)

By the way--this is probably interesting only to me, but a few people have asked me over the years how, when hummingbirds show up so early around here, do they manage to find anything to eat?  Nothing much is flowering yet.

The answer has to do with the symbiotic relationship between hummingbirds and sapsuckers. 

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There you go--more than you wanted to know, eh?   ;)

Best,

George

First one this morning.  Female black-chinned hummer.  6:30 AM.  Temp is about 40 degrees, F. 

:)

Best,

George

ETA:  Hard to miss her.  She came whizzing up to the feeder on the back porch and hovered about 2 feet in front of my face, looking me over.

Actually George. the article was fascinating! 

I saw my first Baltimore Oriole last week - he loves my home-made grape jelly.  I also see the sap suckers, which I mistook for small woodpeckers.  So now I know the difference.  Thank you!