At first, I thought it was the hugest flying insect I’d ever come across, the way it buzzed under the porch railing, like a miniature helicopter. I was sitting on the porch, rereading a Stephen King paperback of four novellas, and I only saw it out of the corner of my eye.
And then, on its second round ’round the porch, I saw it more clearly: A HUMMINGBIRD!
I knew that they would find us if we put the feeder out!! And there he (she?) was, sipping from the little plastic flower-like thingies, sipping the red sugar water!! He didn’t hang around for long, but since then, I’ve seen him (or her? or a different one?) at the feeder several times. And the liquid level is slowly decreasing. Yay!
I’ve always been fascinated by hummingbirds: the furious flapping of their wings, their little shimmery bodies, their long straw-like beaks. And since we moved to our new house in the country, I’ve been talking about getting a hummingbird feeder, and during the week-before-last’s Wal-Mart visit, we got one!
Mr. Hawke: What if we don’t have any hummingbirds?
Me: If we put it up, they’ll come. I know it.
Mr. Hawke: What if there aren’t any hummingbirds for twenty miles?
Me: There are; I know there are. They’ll come!
Put like that, our conversation was sort of symbolic of us: me, the ever-hopeful, always putting (a little too much stake) on everything turning out perfectly; him, the down-to-earth realist, always forsaking hope for what really is and will most likely be. Together, we blend into a perfect mixture, I think. :)
So the same day I spotted the first hummer, the kids and I were having lunch, and through the shaded window, I spotted a hummingbird feeding. I ran for my camera, but it was too late.
Since that day, I’ve refilled the feeder twice. At first, when we were on the porch, they’d fly by and fly on. More and more, though, they’ll hover nearby and make their way to the feeder, tentatively slurping the red liquid. The females have seemed more brazen than the males, overall.
According to our research, the hummers frequenting our feeder are called Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds. They’re three to four inches long on average, and the female is a bit larger than the male. The male is dark emerald green on his back, with a white chest and a red throat (or gorget in birdspeak). The female is similar, but with less contrast and no red spot.
We found out that hummingbirds are very territorial. When one is feeding, it’s not uncommon for another to do a fly-by and run the first off. I’ve seen a couple of hummers swirling around the yard a couple of times already. It’s really quite a beautiful sight!
I’ll post pictures of our hummers as soon as I’m lucky enough to capture some!
Unless otherwise noted, all images and text are copyright © Viable Design. All rights reserved.
