Wild Bird Wed.

Linking up with Stewart here:
http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com/

The last of the hummingbirds are gearing up to leave,filled feeders for probably the last time today. I feel as though I missed the summer watching them as it was so hot this year here in Pa.

male cardinal ,hummingbird,Mia the collie

Savannah went home tonight.She & I got our names on the front page of our local newspaper about buying second hand clothing here local.There is a dress code,so we were mainly looking for shoes & boots & jeans to wear in the woods when she is here.Mia is enjoying her attention while Savannah brushes her.

I don`t know what this male cardinal is doing,he seems to see me in the house taking his picture.

I made another gallon of hummingbird food,they are loading up I suppose for take-off. The summer has passed so quickly,it just doesn`t seem like it is time for them to go.Never a good time for me anymore for the going part.

Mia & Savannah

she`ll be going back to school the 25th,2ond grade

I like to watch them till it`s too dark to see them
 

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Whach-ya doin`

Baby Hummers

I`ve been spending alot of time outside watching the baby hummingbirds.They will almost land on me.I`m making sugar water every other day.I`m going to get some more feeders with the bee guards,now would be a good time to shop for them as everything like that is going on clearance.The bumblebees are the ones this year covering the feeders.The hummingbirds just push their way in though.

Hummingbirds

Yesterday & today I spent the entire day outside spinning the bee balm fleece on the deck with the hummingbirds chattering around.I ordered a small camcorder,but it won`t be in till Sept.17th,they may be gone by then.I`ve had a colony of them here though at the end of Oct. one year.They are so curious,flying right at my face & looking me over,wings flitting a millon miles an hour.I was rewarded with a few pics of them.I have 6 feeders out,but they still seem to fight over all of them.As always,click on picture to make clearer.

Hummingbirds are gone

The hummingbirds left yesterday.They were in a playful mood before they left,playing hide & seek with me,I could only get almost dark pictures of them.They either flew too close,peering at my face,or flew way up into the pines & back,then hide & seek in the bushes.I miss them already.
This isn`t a very good picture of a flicker,but it`s the best I was able to get.He likes this one spot in the yard,drills way in for something,I`ve went to see what he`s getting from the ground,but can`t tell.
The grosbeaks are here,but I wasn`t able to get a pic,Bandit runs to the window when I grab my camera & barks.I will have to act nonchalant & slither to the sliding glass door to get a picture next time.
I have been washing fleeces.Soon we will be shearing again.These fleeces I never got to,so I have to get busy...I`m getting a drum carder!!!I`m so excited.I never got a birthday gift,I just kept telling my dh to wait.I was going to get a fountain from walmart for the outside birds but it never went on rollback at walmart,so after much wondering about drum carders,I finally decided to get it.It is rather expensive,& I kept telling myself I could do all the fleeces myself & hand card,but it hasn`t happenned,so I`m getting way behind in my work.
This is a willy-nilly post,but I`m adding these mushroom pics,I saw them in the woods & I`m thinking of getting them in a pot to make a dye for the fleece from them.Mushrooms make beautiful colors.

Birdwatching

The hummingbirds were so much fun to watch today.I tried to get pics,but maybe I can get better ones later on when they trust me more.Right now they are happily flying around together,flying to my face to peer at me ,then fly to the line to watch me from afar.I have personal relationships with birds,I know that sounds wacky.I had a female hummingbird who came every year & she would follow me into the house even.One year I didn`t know what happenned to her,& when I mentioned not seeing her to my neighbor,he admitted he killed her.He was 80 probably then,he is still living,but he said he was sitting outside reading the paper & something buzzed around his head & he took his flyswatter beside him & smacked it without looking & it was her.She was always curious & would fly right up to your face.I was devestated over it.This year is the first year we`ve had friendly,curious hummingbirds since those 5 years ago.Last year we had a pair with babies & I think maybe they are back again.I`m hoping we soon have a colony of them coming.I have tons of plants that they like.
One year I broke my leg really bad.I will blog about that ordeal sometime.But I couldn`t get out into the flower beds like I wanted too,& watched helplessly as thistles took over.But one day I was looking out at them in July,& I saw a male goldfinch taking the soft tops of them after they bloomed .He was using them for nesting material.So now I always let some thistles grow for them.I saw one gathering only the other day.
I haven`t seen much of my robin with the wierd feather this year.He doesn`t follow me as he did.I believe he has had 2 clutches of babies so far this summer.Is that what they are called,clutches?

Bees

I have never had a problem with bees.This year it is unreal how many are gathering for the hummingbirds food.I go out on the deck to cook & feel as if I`m in a movie of not "the birds" but "the bees".In the cool of our evennings now they disperse.I refilled as the hummingbirds are still here,but if they come back today I`ll have to move the feeders down in the yard.Honeybees are protected,I don`t want to kill any bees as they are vital to the enviroment.