First hummer!

Yes yes yes–our first one has arrived! This morning, James hollered at me from the breakfast table.

"There's a hummingbird!"

"Really?" I yelled back from our bedroom. "Black-chinned?"

Yes, he said. 

Sure enough, I got to see the new arrival later...a male black-chinned hummingbird. Welcome back!!  

O Happy Day - a winter hummer!

I'm so so so EXCITED! We'd decided to leave up one feeder this season in hopes of attracting a Rufous hummingbird. This morning, we've spotted this little female TWICE!     HIP HIP HIP hooray!!

First hummer!

Here we go! Spring has officially sprung at the Pink House! We hung up a feeder this morning, and a black-chinned male showed up around supper time.

We also counted SIX robins in our back yard, the most that I can ever remember. I did count eight to 10 last week in the Meadow. That was cool.

(Last year, we spotted our first hummer March 14. I'm wondering if this one was already around, and we'd have seen him earlier if we hung up a feeder?)

Welcome back, y'all!

Hummers still around, and a surprise as well

I tried to snag some shots awhile ago, but then everyone disappeared! This morning, I counted five females and three males. We were down to three feeders, but then I rehung one by my office window.

Plus, yesterday evening, we spotted a roadrunner in the lot behind us. "It's going to jump the fence and a drink of water," I predicted. Well, I was halfway right. The roadrunner jumped into our back yard, but it only surveyed the bird baths in passing. Then it made the coolest call....if you listen to the call here, the middle, almost metallic-like "clatter" is what we heard. I didn't run for my camera because I didn't want to startle it. First roadrunner in our Wildscape EVER!

James saw this little gal open her wings, lean her head over and open her mouth wide. I got one photo through the screen (and glass window) before she took off.

More to see out my window!

James just installed a new hook outside my office window and hung a hummingbird feeder. Another excuse not to write! 

UPDATE–Forty minutes after James hung this, I heard my first visitors! I turned from at my desk and saw two humming birds, already fighting over the new feeder!

Don't mind me!

This afternoon, I was working on the laptop at the dining room table when I looked up and saw this butterfly, hanging out on the hummingbird feeder and trying to nectar. I watched it for a while. Then I couldn't stand it any longer. I fetched James' Kodak, stood at the window and shot a progression of photos. I'd never seen a butterfly at a hummingbird feeder before. Or one that stayed so long, no matter who else showed up....
 

While I stood there, shooting, a wasp arrived and got on board. The butterfly–a hairstreak species–stood its ground. Hummingbirds came and went. The butterfly stayed. It did, however, meander over and around the feeder. (On some of the images, you really have to search before you can spot it.) From about the ninth photo and beyond below, James photographed those. And he got some really great shots.....

They're HERE!

Just this minute spotted our first hummingbird of the season! A male black-chinned hummer was at the feeder that I JUST HUNG UP YESTERDAY! Talk about perfect timing! Cool!

They're here!!

Just sighted: a male black-chinned hummingbird at our kitchen feeder!

Let the season begin!

Breaking news!

The first hummingbird of the season just arrived!

Thought I'd heard something earlier. So a bit ago, I took a pile of work outside and plopped down at our patio table. Sure enough, one buzzed up to our feeder, then it shot off! A male black-chinned, I do believe.

Gonna put out a second feeder NOW.