Hummer Time!

May is nearly gone and summer almost in full swing. Seems like Memorial Day is the dividing line between spring and summer. Just as Labor Day marks the end of summer. 

Red bellied woodpecker

Baby Blue Birds

Baby Blue Birds

Today was a bird watching, photography kind of day. One of my favorite subjects to photograph happens to be wild life and specifically, BIRDS! From my deck, feeding from the feeders my husband and I put out. The feeders are around and in the garden beds so we are enjoying two of our favorite things at once.       
We have been watching the Red bellied woodpeckers and just saw the babies in the oak tree today. The parents were both flying back and forth from the suet feeder to a higher branch in the tree. Then we saw it! A smaller one, not by much, that they were feeding.       
Before the woodpeckers we were watching a family of Blue Birds. They have been coming around since March when the adults showed up with five babies in April. Now the babies come and go as they please. We have had four of the young ones at a time on the suet feeder and hook. They have learned how to bathe in the bird bath courtesy of a lesson from their mom! Just the other day one of them on the suet feeder opened its mouth to be fed when the mom showed up. He was feeding himself until then. Just like a mom to respond with , "I think you're old enough to feed your self"...she ignored him and flew away! 

So you might be wondering about the strange title for my post today. While we have been enjoying our fine feathered friends in the garden, the one thing my husband keeps asking is, "Are the hummingbirds back, have you seen any?" News Flash!! They're bacccckkkkk! There seems to be three different ones. Probably a male with a bright green down his back, a female with a darker green on her back, and one with a ruby throat. We don't see the ruby throated one as much but the other two cooperated with my photo session today! Take a look!

As well as these birds the other ones today are a Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Pine Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, and earlier in the day a rarely seen Gray Cat Bird. No photo of the Cat Bird as they are described as being very secretive. Their call is raspy sounding rather like a mewing cat. The Chippewa Indians named it Bird That Cries With Grief due to its raspy call. 

Downy Woodpecker

Just a quick glimpse of the Oak Leaf Hydrangea that was just about to bloom last month. It is a little hidden behind a Mahonia next to the seed feeder. So far the deer have left it alone except for a nibbble or two. 


My Shasta Daisies are also in full bloom attracting a bee or two.






So while it is almost summer time, today in my garden was definitely Hummer Time!