Sunday, August 9, 2009

Of Hummingbirds and Other Things

My front yard is a haven. My granddaughters come over and play in it. The cats lounge in the grass. I like to sit on the front porch and see the lightening when there are storms or the sunrise some mornings. Just a few days ago I was sitting outside letting my hair dry in the sun when I was checked out by a hummingbird. She flew up to me and hovered right in front of my face and stared me down for a good 10 seconds. I had the feeling that she was claiming the yard for her own and telling me that I was not welcome. Now, if you didn't know it hummingbirds are very territorial. I have watched them try to drive off other birds and dive bomb the cats. I have just never had one have the nerve to look me in the eye! I have two very large fruitless mulberry trees in my front yard and they are full of bird nests, some of them are hummingbird nests. I know this because one year my husband was trimming the trees and there was one nestled in the branches. It was made out of spiderwebs! From then on I am very careful to make sure it is not nesting season when we trim the trees.
Anyways, it did give me pause to think that my front yard was not really MY front yard. I just happen to have paid for it. I actually share it with a whole assortment of creatures that could really care less if I was there or not. I think they would be happy if I left and took the cats with me! LOL
On that note I will leave you with this video of Beru the cat and her problems with the hummingbirds in our trees.

2 comments:


  1. Wonderful story. Sometimes there's a fleeting moment when I look out and see a hummingbird inspect my hanging feeder, then zoom away. But no close encounters. However, I did have a fragile little chickadee land on my hand once when I was refilling the feeder.
    Nice place you have here. :)

    ~phil

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  2. Thank you. For some reason the birds seem to like it here despite the cats :)

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