Hummer at the feeder.
I’m amazed at the ability of these tiny birds to retain such detailed and accurate mental maps of my garden from year to year. It’s not just that they return to the same feeders, but when they are done they perch on precisely the same branches in the wild cherry and birch. I wish they would be more forthcoming about the locations of their nests. Sneaky little vagabonds.
Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris ♀), in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Hummer at the feeder.
I’m amazed at the ability of these tiny birds to retain such detailed and accurate mental maps of my garden from year to year. It’s not just that they return to the same feeders, but when they are done they perch on precisely the same branches in the wild cherry and birch. I wish they would be more forthcoming about the locations of their nests. Sneaky little vagabonds.
Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris ♀), in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Bird Note: First hummingbird sighting of 2013 this morning. Maybe feeders need to be set out even sooner.
Image: "Ruby-throated Humming Bird" by John James Audubon, from the 1838 double elephant folio. The plate gives the binomial as Trochilus colubris, later revised to Archilochus colubris. This digital image is in the public domain. Please click through to enlarge.
Bird Note: First hummingbird sighting of 2013 this morning. Maybe feeders need to be set out even sooner.
Image: "Ruby-throated Humming Bird" by John James Audubon, from the 1838 double elephant folio. The plate gives the binomial as Trochilus colubris, later revised to Archilochus colubris. This digital image is in the public domain. Please click through to enlarge.
Mother cardinal wishes I would just go away.
Today’s encounter with the cardinals was unavoidable. Even so, my intrusion was brief, and I’ll take precautions to keep out of their way and give them privacy while they incubate their eggs. Predators searching for nests to raid can actually take cues from human observers, so it’s best if I keep my distance.
Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis ♀), in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Mother cardinal wishes I would just go away.
Today’s encounter with the cardinals was unavoidable. Even so, my intrusion was brief, and I’ll take precautions to keep out of their way and give them privacy while they incubate their eggs. Predators searching for nests to raid can actually take cues from human observers, so it’s best if I keep my distance.
Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis ♀), in Portsmouth, Virginia.
BREAKING NEWS HEADLINE: Cardinal Nest Not Abandoned, Mockingbird Sues for Libel.
Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) nest and eggs, in Portsmouth, Virginia.
BREAKING NEWS HEADLINE: Cardinal Nest Not Abandoned, Mockingbird Sues for Libel.
Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) nest and eggs, in Portsmouth, Virginia.
False Start: The cardinals have apparently abandoned the nest they were building in the wax myrtle, probably due to constant harassment by the mockingbird, who is a bully.
False Start: The cardinals have apparently abandoned the nest they were building in the wax myrtle, probably due to constant harassment by the mockingbird, who is a bully.
Dithyramb 