Sat.`s critters .id rather b birdin` and funny story

On a road close to my home there runs a gasline. The soil must be warmer along the gasline because the snow always melts the whole way up & down &green grass was showing at the end of Jan. I was driving down the road without my camera, & saw flocks of robins digging in that green grass. Of course no one believed me.
On Feb 7th I looked out my kitchen window & exclaimed to my friend on the phone, there is a robin in the tree out here. I hurriedly told Linda, wow, he must be waiting to get to the feeder, he is after the very expensive mealworms I bought at Tractor Supply. She said her goodbyes so I could try & get a picture. I grabbed my camera, & crept from window to window, snapping pictures. The 5 dogs all were sensing my excitement, so they tried to get in on whatever action was taking me to the door. I couldn`t believe he wasn`t flying away with all the barking & commotion. I get to the door & realized the "bird" had never moved. He also had no head! It was a rotten apple clinging to the tree outside my door!!!!!
Well, my creditability was shot with my friends. I excitedly told them, I DO have the flock of robins here that I saw in Jan.! I was able to prove it this time.  They were gathering mud in the lane, perhaps to make nests with? I hope they got the nests made because we are in for below 0 wind chills here tonight.
Link up with Eileen today at this link for your crittershttp://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com/

I am also linking to this for birdinghttp://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.com/

rotten apple

waving at me

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?