"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Monday, December 7, 2009

Adventures of a Hummingbird.

One of the first things I noticed when I looked outside this morning was that the hummingbird feeders were frozen solid. The temperatures were down in the 20's last night, so cold and dry there wasn't even frost on the plants. I felt very guilty when I noticed a little hummingbird sitting in the branches of the apple tree trying to warm up in the sun. Feeling bad for this one and the others that have been visiting and also seeing that the Fuchsia flowers had been killed by the cold I brought the feeder inside to "thaw". After about a half an hour it was out hanging again.

Not more than a few hours later after returning from errands I saw a female Anna's hummingbird drinking from the feeder. She was very brave and stayed there even while I was watching our dog Gracie who was seriously thinking about stepping on the frozen pond.

She found a good close and sunny spot to rest on between drinks. If you look closely you can see her beak is open. I wonder if she was thanking me for getting her food?

She later flew up to the apple tree to take in the view of the Cascades from over the neighbors fence.

Another reason I'm glad the neighbors limbed up their Cedar trees, another view to enjoy!

I'd gone back to watching Gracie and heard lots of noise and looked to find that a flock of Bushtits had flown into the yard. After hummingbirds I think they're the smallest visitors we get. They always come in big groups and especially love suet, but discovered the bark butter feeder recently. The hummingbird was quite concerned they were after her food and made lots of noise and protected her feeder.

The Bushtits are very friendly with the other little birds that visit our feeders and usually will be the first to leave if they are getting too crowded. I love how they all tried to find a spot to eat from.

Here are more of them on the suet feeder, lots more were resting in the trees and plants around the pond.

Eventually they left and the hummingbird went back to the trellis to rest. I can't believe how close she let me get. I was probably about 8 feet away and I'm sure I could've gotten closer, but I didn't want to scare her. I didn't do any cropping on this picture or any of the others.

As I was going back inside she flew back to the branches of the Cedar trees. I'm going to bring the feeders in now on these nights where it will be below freezing to keep these birds fed. Anna's hummingbirds are winter residents here and so I try to do my part by having a food source for them. In the end I was rewarded with the best pictures I've ever gotten of one.
Pin It

55 comments:

  1. Wow..Double Wow!!What a beautiufl post,what magnficent creatures!! Just gorgeous! Awesome shots!!Lots of advnetures happening in your little spot!! Wonderful! Thanks for sharing..fantastic hummingbird photos...wow! !

    ReplyDelete
  2. Catherine, These are wonderful photos. Thanks so much for sharing them. -Jean

    ReplyDelete
  3. Catherine, Nalley and I enjoyed these outstanding photos so much. You are so blessed to live in such a beautiful area with that breath-taking view and how sweet to have hummingbirds that close. Those are such pretty photos.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I was glad to see the hummers are winter birds there. I was worried about them freezing. Love your pics Catherine.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Catherine, you have out done yourself with these photos.....BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, my heart goes out to the little birds and their search for unfrozen food and drink! They must be very grateful to you.

    Your photos are beautiful!

    (Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog - one of my aspirations is to write and illustrate a series of children's books!)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Holy smokes, Catherine! Great shots! I was going to open by asking what kind of camera you use but I see it on your sidebar. I am so impressed by the wonderful photos you got, I added refill feeders to my list of things to do.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Catherine what wonderful shots of the birds. I love the last closeup of the hummingbird. They are so colorful.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That last picture is amazing!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your hummingbirds don't migrate south. I didn't know they could handle any cold as ours all are gone by September. Yes thank the neighbor for trimming its trees, I like seeing that view. Great shots.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh Catherine,
    I am so glad you got such beautiful pictures. What a rare opportunity. I tried to get some pictures of our resident Hummingbird today, but he was not in the mood to be photographed. So, I will enjoy your photos instead :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. Catherine these shots are fantastic! Especially your new header.

    Your view of the mountains is beautiful too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great shots! Thanks for keeping those little guys fed during the winter. They don't stay here and I just assumed they went to Mexico or somewhere without frost.
    I was amazed this summer when photographing the hummingbirds how tame they are. They would come to the feeders and hover and look at me when I was not more than 3 feet away! I could hear them buzz they were so close! Can't wait till they come back to Chicago in the summer. Thanks for the hummingbird reminder!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Fantastic. I've never seen hummers here after mid October or so. They left long before the frost hit the pineapple sage they had claimed. Maybe I need to research whether or not they overwinter in my area or just leave. Beautiful pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wonderful! your header is fabulous... what a beautiful jewel of a bird. Lucky you! Carol

    ReplyDelete
  16. Catherine, your photos are fantastic! Perhaps I'll never get that detail, but I'm going to keep working at getting better! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I was about to type, "wow", but noticed your first commenter did. I may repeat someone else, though, because I didn't read the other comments. LOL

    Those are amazing photos! I can see why you chose one for your header photo. I was going to comment on that before seeing your other photos.

    We just put food in our feeders Saturday. I haven't seen any birds on them yet, but Larry spilled some sunflower seeds when he filled them, and I scared a dove from the area yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
  18. These photos are unbelievable! I can't imagine getting that close to a hummingbird and seeing them at a feeder this time of year. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm lovin' your adventures with these hummers! How sweet! I've never had luck with birds here. No matter how tasty a food I keep in my garden, the parrots always want the boring rice that my neighbors feed!

    ReplyDelete
  20. You've got so many talents, Catherine. Now I'm thinking I should get my feeders spruced up. I just hope the poor things have a safe place to spend the night. Brrr. Fabulous photos, indeed. Definitely a win-win!

    ReplyDelete
  21. These are just incredible photos Catherine, especially love the blog header one. I think this one let you photograph it to say thanks for thawing out the feeder! I never imagined a hummingbird staying where it would get cold either? I guess it must not stay chilly that way long or they would move on? or do lots of gardeners feed them? Either way, what a treat to see these photos in December!
    Oh, glad to hear your last amaryllis is showing signs of life! Now you don't have to break out the bottom heat!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Those little birdies are all so sweet!

    ReplyDelete
  23. WOW!!!
    What a surprise to my eyes this morning, Catherine!
    The initial image with sweet hummingbirds, which heats up the pale winter sun.
    And 'your feeling on this beautiful small birds and your love for nature is reflected by your words!!
    Simply wonderful!
    Good day! =)
    Tiziana

    ReplyDelete
  24. I've been unable to read my favorite blogs lately but I'm glad I didn't miss this post. Catherine, you have such a tender heart to bring in the feeder to thaw.

    The new header photo is amazing but I kinda miss seeing your front door. Can you tell I don't much like change? ha-ha

    donna

    ReplyDelete
  25. These photos are fantastic. Your garden and views are spectacular. I feel a garden just "isn't" without the birds and the bees, and all sorts of life. You have a very generous garden and I am just in love with that little hummingbird. I keep heated bird baths here in the winters. Will have to try that bark butter.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I need to go out and 'stir' my bird food. I have the suets out but I get so many birds that I fill like a santuary ...

    ReplyDelete
  27. Thanks everyone for visiting and your nice comments. I still am excited about these pictures.
    I put out the feeder early this morning and saw at least two hummingbirds at it already.
    The Anna's are the only hummingbirds that stay here year round, and in fact if you have feeders up around here they are regular visitors all winter.
    Another very cold night well below normal and more cold on the way.

    ReplyDelete
  28. What a great post! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  29. LOVE that hummingbird picture - looks wonderful for your header. I saw one sitting still in a tree on KING 5 news last night and wondered if it was yours. Jeff commented on how ya don't see them sit still that often.

    I signed earlier but we kept losing power about every 5 minutes and only for a second. I finally shut this thing off until our power decided to stay on.

    This weather's getting creepier all the time. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Gracie, stay out of the pond, my sweet. Very nice hummingbird pictures, Catherine. You should be proud of yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  31. You absolutely did get glorious shots! But then that's one thing I so love about your blog: your photography. I've never seen a hummingbird in this area in winter. I guess I'd better get a feeder out there and then I'll find out!
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  32. Oh my goodness, Catherine, that is the best shot of a hummer I have ever seen, the last one, but they are all stunning and superb quality! Kudos for going the extra mile to keep their food from freezing too. It seems odd to have freezing and hummers at the same time. She was singing you a lovely thank you song. :-)
    Frances

    ReplyDelete
  33. Catherine a lovely post well worth looking after such delightfull birds.

    I have been away and now so behind with everything.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Oh what a treat it was to see your photos. You should treasure those pictures because they are absolutely fabulous! The humming birds are long gone from my higher perch in the hills. It is comforting to see them being loved and cared for at your place. We have the higher elevation birds now. They come down for slightly warmer temps. Though I have to wonder about that. You were in the 20s, we had 13. Doesn't seem that warm to me. LOL
    Wonderful post, I just adored the pictures. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Such wonderful photos! I love Anna's hummingbirds, and we have quite a lot of them here swarming all over our Salvia. A couple of months ago I tried photographing a couple, and they are definitely one of the more challenging subjects to capture. My photos though aren't nearly as impressive, and I only had males hanging around that day:

    http://curbstonevalley.com/blog/?p=235

    I'm amazed your little Anna's let you get so close, and actually sat still for you!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I love hummingbirds, Catherine, and this post made me smile and smile, looking forward to the return of the rubythroats here next May. And enjoying your hummers in the meantime.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Catherine, I happened to remember a great little book about a lady who TWICE had an opportunity to keep a hummingbird from sure death in her home. It's an easy read with lots of interesting facts about hummers and some great photos. I gave my copy to an elderly friend of dad's or I would send you my copy. You can look at it on amazon at
    http://www.amazon.com/Hummingbird-My-House-Story-Squeak/dp/0517577291

    ReplyDelete
  38. Catherine, A fantastic set of photos of your hummer at the feeder and resting in the tree...Anna is a pretty little bird~~I don't think our hummers ever land near the feeder. Thank you for sharing It made me very happy to see the birds and the Cascades in the background! gail

    ReplyDelete
  39. Amazing shots! Thanks for sharing. We have hummers all over the place, but I've never been able to capture a shot remotely like that, looks great in your header!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Catherine,
    I know a fair bit about over wintering hummingbirds here in the southeast(our hummers are usually western stays), don't know if this applies to the northwest. I do think your hummer is going to over winter. You need to install a heating devise usually a clamp light put close to it will keep it from freezing at night. You could bring it in at night but the hummer might leave if the feeder in not there early in the morning. The good news is the feeder will not need to be changed nearly as much as it does in the heat of the summer, the water will stay fresh. You might want to check out http://www.rubythroat.org/ and if you have any questions Bill Hilton is the guy to ask.

    ReplyDelete
  41. bellissimi i colibrì! li vorrei avere anche io in giardino :-D

    ma dove abiti?

    ReplyDelete
  42. Randy - Thanks for the info! I get up very early so I hope it's out before the hummers are out looking for food. I can't wait for this cold weather to pass.

    ReplyDelete
  43. CarloFelix - Thank you. I live in Washington State (on the Western side). It doesn't usually get this cold this early in the winter.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Hi Catherine!
    Thanks for coming by my blog to see our new little emperor!!

    I love your blog!! What an amazing shot you got of the hummingbird this morning!! WOW...
    Truely beautiful!
    I saw one around here the other day and thought to myself isn't she sappose to be flying south....?

    : ) Iam going to follow your blog!!

    Jody
    Erin's friend

    ReplyDelete
  45. To be able to capture a hummingbird on film is quite a feat in itself but to capture them so up close and personal is amazing. Great shots.

    ReplyDelete
  46. What a lovely post, Catherine. And do you know, I believe that my sunbird-feeder (our equivalent to hummingbirds) might just have come from the same factory as yours! Jack

    ReplyDelete
  47. Another wonderful post that I can't believe I missed! This is fantastic!

    How do you make the butter board feeder? Is it just a flat board and peanut butter on both sides, or is it a little house thing?

    We have about 25 feeders for hummers, plus Bobby feeds every other bird that comes around. I do have a couple of feeders still out, but I have not seen any hummers here lately.

    Great post! I just loved it!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Janie - I bought that feeder at Wild Birds Unlimited, but really I bet it wouldn't be too difficult to make. It has about 1/4" holes drilled in on both sides, a perch on either side and then a little roof. I used the butterbark they had there too.

    ReplyDelete
  49. What a lovely little fellow. Did not know that I have my very own humming bird Catherine :) Wish we could get a glimpse of them over here.

    ReplyDelete
  50. That is one wonderful set of photos. Loved them all, but of course the closeup is just amazing. Not only is it close up, but the bird very cooperatively turned its face to let you capture a Hollywood-style profile. How neat is that! That's your just reward for being caring.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Those are some great pictures of the hummingbird! I had no idea that hummingbirds didn't mind the chill either! How on earth do they find enough food in the winter if people don't feed them?
    Thanks for all the pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  52. Sylvana - I think the hummingbirds eat a fair amount of insects as well as from the feeders. I'm not sure where else they would get their food now with it being so frozen here. Hopefully other people are feeding them as well.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Catherine, I love your header picture. I always wonder how the birds survive the cold winters if they do not migrate elsewhere. Thanks to people like you, the world is now a better place for our feathered friends. I have a bird picture in my latest UFO post too but I don't know its name.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Wonderful pictures. I waited all summer and got only one pic. Yours are GREAT!

    jim

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit and leave a comment. I try my very best to answer any questions you may have, but usually don't have time to respond to each comment. Please leave a link to your blog so I can visit you in return.