Nest Building

 

I thought you might like to see a photo of a hummingbird in the process of building her nest. This was in the hummingbird aviary at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, and as you can see, she didn't seem very concerned that I was watching her every move. All the building materials and the spider web she uses to hold everything together fascinate me. The nest is a marvel that expands as the chicks grow.

 

I love hummingbirds. They're feisty little jewels.

Say Hello to Sam!

Video clips of dozens of hummingbirds calmly buzzing around feeders always fascinate me. You see, there is a year-round colony of Anna's hummingbirds that lives here at Casa Kittling. They're joined by some black-chinned hummingbirds in the summer, and all of these tiny wonders are so territorial that it's a Red Letter Day to see two of them sharing the same feeder without a fight breaking out. It's much more common to see them chasing each other away from favorite feeders.

And that's what happened a few years ago, the only difference being that one hummer's belligerent behavior was so exaggerated and so prolonged that I managed to get the best photographs I've ever taken of a hummingbird. It's all thanks to an ill-tempered Anna's hummingbird I named Sam (after Yosemite Sam, another little guy with more than his share of attitude).

Over a period of two days, Sam found the one perfect spot in which to perch and keep an eye on ALL of the feeders here in the back garden, and from sun-up to sundown, he chased all the other hummingbirds away. Now... he'd leave every once in awhile and other hummers would sneak in for a quick drink, but if he came back and caught them, the interlopers had to face his mighty wrath. This mean little hombre let me get within four feet of him. Any closer, and I think he would've stabbed me with that needle beak of his.

Let me share three of my favorite photos of Sam.

See that attitude? I wonder if his ill temper had anything to do with that little gnat stuck on the end of his beak?

I loved how turning his head in the sunlight would change the colors of his feathers.

See what I mean about those feathers changing colors. Sam is gorgeous, isn't he?

I hope you enjoyed meeting Sam. He's the sassiest bird I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

Mi Casa Es Su Casa

I've been culling photographs on and off for a few weeks now, and I thought I'd share a few from time to time. This week, I've chosen a couple of hummingbird photos. 

We are so fortunate here in Phoenix because the hardy little Anna's hummingbird stays here all year round. As a result, we have quite a little colony of them that love to nest in the trees here and frequent the feeders. 

One summer, I left the patio door open as I was bringing in clean clothes from the laundry room. When I walked into the house, I discovered that a hummingbird had flown in to check the place out. He didn't care much for my interior decorating skills and decided to leave, but he became confused.

I stood well away from the patio door, hoping that he would fly out the way he came in, but he kept battering himself against the window that overlooks the pool. I had to find a way to make him fly in the direction that I wanted him to. Since he could see the outdoors through the window, I quietly walked over and closed the curtains. That way, the only "outside" he could see was through the open patio door. 

He was out like a shot.

So... if that ever happens to you, regardless of the bird species, close doors, close curtains, do whatever you have to do to give your visitor only one clear way to get out of the house. (And in case you're wondering, I was once known as the head bat wrangler at work because I used the same principle whenever a bat got in the store.)

Now I'll stop blathering and show you the photos!

Life imitates Art.

I think he's trying to tell me that the dryer stopped. Having an "outside" laundry room means all sorts of critters come to check it out (and consider it their own).

I've had hummingbirds come to drink water from the end of the garden hose as I was watering plants. I've had them perch on the brim of my hat and on the book I was reading. I am absolutely thrilled that they feel so comfortable around me because it means that I've gotten to see some very special behavior.

One of these days, I need to show you the photos I took of Sam, the roughest, toughest Anna's hummingbird I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

Relaxing in Ramsey Canyon, Part Five: Hummingbirds

It's time for the fifth and final installment of posts about the days Denis and I spent relaxing in a cabin in Ramsey Canyon, Arizona. In the sky islands of the Huachuca Mountains, Ramsey Canyon is just a few miles from the Mexican border, and it's a paradise for anyone who loves wildlife.

Turkey gobbling would wake me in the morning, and I'd spend most of the day out on the deck trying to see how many camera batteries I could wear out. I'm sharing some of the photographs I took of the resident hummingbirds in this final installment.

On our first full day there, I was impressed by the internecine war between the broad-billed hummingbirds and the black-chinned hummingbirds, but that soon passed when I learned that the real king of the area was the blue-throated hummingbird. At twice the size of the others, it's easy to see why the blue-throated ruled the roost. Other than its size, the main thing I noticed about the blue-throated was its vocalizations; it even had one that sounded like a good old fashioned Bronx cheer. I'm used to two types of hummingbirds in Phoenix: the Anna's which stay here year-round and the black-chinned which leave to winter in Mexico. I know the sounds they make quite well, so it was a bit of a thrill for this critter lover to hear unfamiliar bird sounds and deduce which sound went with which bird.

But enough yakking-- let's get to those photographs!

A juvenile blue-throated hummingbird. One of the first identifiers that caught my eye was the white streaks above and below their eyes. You'd think the colors of their feathers would be the first thing, but the sun isn't always shining on them at the proper angle.

An adult blue-throated hummingbird. The white streaks are more pronounced, aren't they?

It's not polite to stick your tongue out at your photographer!

You can see why it's called a blue-throated hummingbird, that's for sure!

The blue-throats liked to perch up in a scrub oak to protect "their" feeders. Many an unwary black-chinned and broad-billed hummer got chased away while we were there.

It looks to me like this one's getting a bit sleepy. Time for a siesta!

You never know where the next threat is coming from. Must. Be. Vigilant.

An adult broad-billed hummingbird.

That bump on its beak is a bug carcass. Insects provide valuable protein for hummingbirds.

The blue-throats were around, so this broad-billed didn't waste time perching.

This time it looks as though "Godzilla" (what I called the meanest blue-throat) wasn't around; otherwise, this little guy wouldn't be napping!

Broad-bills are gorgeous, and this photo gives just a hint of that. Emerald green. Royal blue. I tried like a crazy person to get a photo when the sunlight turned its head into a fiery purple, but I never did manage to. When all three colors are blazing, these little flying jewels are glorious!

That concludes our stay in Ramsey Canyon. I hope you enjoyed it. If all the places we've stayed here in Arizona, I have to admit that it's my favorite. If you missed the other installments, here are the links to Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four.

Relaxing in Ramsey Canyon, Part Two (Gobble, Gobble)

Today, I'm sharing more photos from the days we spent in a cabin in Ramsey Canyon which is about ten miles south of Sierra Vista, Arizona (and not all that far away from the Mexican border). The cabin may not have been much, but it had a million dollar deck that made our vacation something very special.

This week, I'll show you some photos of the second wave from the Welcome Wagon that came to check us out. I don't know how many of you have ever seen wild turkeys, but they are completely different from domestic turkeys. I know hunters who are thrilled if they can bag a wild turkey because they are extremely smart and quick, while domestic turkeys seem to have had all their intelligence bred out of them. Did you know that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be our national bird instead of the bald eagle? It's true! So I considered it a privilege to be able to watch about a dozen turkeys up close and personal so I could see a bit of their behavior.

Speaking of behavior, on their first visit, the big tom turkey came up first to sample our buffet while the rest of the family kept back. He didn't eat much, then he walked off and stood guard while the rest of the family ate. After the first visit, that protocol was not followed again. (Hmmm... perhaps he was the Royal Taster?) 

Let's get started!

This bird was the first to notice that there were two new folks in the neighborhood.

Soon the whole family came by to check us out.

They spent a good deal of time in grooming. I was sad that I never got a decent photo that showed how beautiful the males' feathers can be-- rusts, greens, blues, and reds that glowed in the sunlight.

As you can see, as long as we didn't move much, they weren't shy.

When it came time for a Sunday afternoon nap, they didn't get as close as the deer, but they did get comfortable and snooze away-- although they took turns being the sentinel bird.

A face only a mother could love.

One afternoon, a big gust of wind came down through the canyon and blew my bag of popcorn across the deck, spilling about half the contents. Denis started wondering where a broom was, but I told him not to worry about it. Sure enough, within minutes of our going inside, the maid came to tidy up. (Didn't miss a single piece either!) ~db~

There you have some turkey photos. Next week, I'll share some with fur and scales. I hope you're enjoying Ramsey Canyon! And just in case you missed it, you can check out Part One of this series.

Relaxing in Ramsey Canyon, Part One: Doe, a Deer...

Denis and I recently spent five days in a cabin at the edge of the Ramsey Canyon Preserve about ten miles south of Sierra Vista, Arizona. (The preserve calls itself the Hummingbird Capital of the U.S.) The cabin was very basic, but that didn't matter because it had what I privately thought of as a million-dollar deck.

In the sky islands of the Huachuca Mountains (wah-CHOO- kuh), the cabin and deck were nestled in the shade of scrub oaks and Ponderosa pine. I spent hours on that deck. I had a book with me, but it stayed on the table while I did my best to wear out my two cameras. There was just too much wildlife to watch. With the preserve right at my doorstep, I could've taken advantage of all sorts of hiking trails or visited the Arizona Folklore Preserve which we had to drive past to get to the cabin. But that deck was my siren song. I couldn't get away from it, and since our primary reason for being there was to relax, I didn't feel bad about it one little bit.

Five days of peace and quiet. Five days of not seeing another soul. Five days of hearing nothing but wildlife and the wind through the trees. I'm not kidding you. It was won-der-fullll!

I'm going to turn our five-day trip into several posts. This way, I can share more photos and relive memories. The owner has the entire property for sale, so I'm hoping that we are able to go back sometime in the future-- especially in mid-August when it's the height of the hummingbird season and when the creek that is within sight of the cabin is running. (We were there during the only time in the year when it doesn't run. Ah well.)

For this first batch of photos, I wouldn't be at all surprised if you start humming "Doe, a deer, a female deer..."

My view when I looked up while sitting on the deck. Twenty degrees cooler here than in Phoenix!

We weren't on the deck any time at all when the Welcome Wagon showed up and wanted to know what's for supper. These are mule deer.

In case you didn't know, deer LOVE apples. As you can see, we already knew this!

What a beautiful face! (And she also knew that Denis was in charge of the apples that day...)

Since the creek wasn't running, Denis made sure to keep all the water receptacles filled. Birdbaths aren't just for birds. 

You can tell by the little knobs on his head that this is a young male. Young male deer certainly don't get much respect from the females-- at least not that we observed. Must have something to do with how males behave once they're grown!

Sunday afternoon, a dozen deer felt comfortable enough around us to lie down and take naps.

I think she wants another apple!

Off in the trees.

Yum!

I hope you're enjoying your visit to Ramsey Canyon. It will continue next week!

Fastest Things on Wings: Rescuing Hummingbirds in Hollywood by Terry Masear

First Line: If destiny arrives at times by chance and at other times by choice, for me it came through some of each.

This memoir of rehabber Terry Masear is a must-read for anyone who is fascinated with hummingbirds. I've loved these tiny living jewels since I was quite small, seeing ruby-throated hummingbirds visit my grandmother's flower garden. The day I moved to Arizona was the first time I'd ever seen one perch in a tree and being able to observe them every day in my own desert garden is a delight I never tire of.

Masear includes many facts in her memoir that people with differing levels of expertise will appreciate, but what I enjoyed the most was her account of the day-to-day care involved with rescuing and rehabilitating these little marvels. In four months, she took in 160 hummingbirds in various stages of need. With feedings every thirty minutes during the day and a phone that never stopped ringing, readers can feel Masear's exhaustion. But we can also feel her love and dedication, especially with hummingbirds like Gabriel and Pepper, birds that were gravely injured and not expected to live. Yes, this is a book in which both your mind and your heart will be engaged.

Don't be surprised if you read Fastest Things on Wings and discover that your sense of wonder has been reawakened-- and that if you're lucky enough to have hummingbirds in your neighborhood that you look at them in a brand-new light. These little jewels are enough in and of themselves to make me believe in miracles, and I am so glad I read Masear's book.

Fastest Things on Wings: Rescuing Hummingbirds in Hollywood by Terry Masear

eISBN: 9780544416086

Mariner Books © 2016

eBook, 333 pages

Non-Fiction, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Stop Hiding, You Varmint, It's Wordless Wednesday!

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Showing Off on Wordless Wednesday

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Building a Nest on Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday

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REVIEW: He Saw a Hummingbird

Title: He Saw a Hummingbird: How the Tiniest of Birds and a Man's Indomitable Spirit Combined to Bring About a Miracle
Author(s): Norma Lee Browning and Russell Ogg
ISBN: 0525122257/ E.P. Dutton, 1978
Non-Fiction
Rating: A+

First Line: Last night I dreamed he caught a hummingbird.

The best way for a bookaholic to begin a new year is to have the very first book she reads be an A+. My choice was complete serendipity. A Paperback Swap buddy emailed me to let me know that she had a couple of books that were on my wish list but they had different ISBNs. I went to my page, updated the ISBNs and then decided to go to her book shelf on the off chance that she had something else that struck my fancy. The title was a lure no literary trout like me could resist. I love hummingbirds. There is a colony of about two dozen who live in my immediate area all year. Photography was also a subject of the book. I'm interested in photography. So...I ordered the book so she could send it along with the rest. It's one of the best book decisions I've made in a long time.

Norma Browning's husband, Russell Ogg, was diagnosed as a "brittle" diabetic shortly after they got together, and although the roller coaster of trying to keep his diabetes under control meant many trips to the hospital, neither of them let it slow them down. Ogg was a photographer; Browning a writer. They made a good team. Eventually they moved to Palm Springs, California, and it was there that Ogg developed diabetic retinopathy. It wasn't long before he was legally blind and traveling once a year to Denver for laser surgery to stop the bleeding of the blood vessels in his eyes. As his eyesight grew worse and worse, he began sitting on their Palm Springs patio...staring out at nothing. Until the day that a little red hummingbird flew up to check him out.

That one incident began a hummingbird obsession for Russell and Norma. Russell, used to tinkering with his photographic equipment, began working on pieces that would help him with something his eyes couldn't: taking quality photographs of hummingbirds. While he was turning their patio into a rabbit warren of cables and strange-looking boxes, Norma was buying up what few reference guides she could find about hummingbirds. She wanted to be able to identify what her husband photographed.

This book is an absolute delight. It's filled with facts about hummingbirds and their behavior, but even though this information brought a smile to my face, that's not the greatest part of this book. The best part of this book is how those tiny flying jewels brought a man up out of the pit of despair and gave him the determination to do what no one with 20-20 eyesight had ever done: take quality photographs of one of nature's most difficult things to capture. (Can you hear my own experience speaking here?) When I turned the last page of text and began looking at the color plates of Ogg's photographs, the tears came. They were tears of joy. If I were a dancer, I would've danced through the house carrying this marvelous little book.

What a wonderful way to start 2009!

Anna's Hummingbird from my back garden