Random pix

Sorry for the silence, dear readers. I've had a nutty week with multiple writing deadlines and lots of things on my plate. So rather than write anything witty (my brain is pretty fried), I'll simply show you a selection of random photos I've taken over the last couple of weeks.

Black-chinned hummer.

Early-morning sunshine on dewy grass.

Busy robin feeding babies.

Some elk watching us from a nearby pasture.

Oak leaves.

For some reason, though, the tree is sporting a few red leaves, even this late in spring. No idea why.

We had this handsome boy grazing in our yard one afternoon.

Potatoes. I took this photo on May 30, so they're even lusher and taller now.

A neighbor's horse, framed by tree branches.

Aftermath of a thunderstorm...

...which left behind a beautiful double rainbow...

...as well as a pretty sunset.

My nuclear strawberries are starting to produce heavily. I'll be picking a generous bowl full every other day.

This was the first harvest. It's ramped up since I took this photo.

Some sneaky robins are enjoying the fruit too.

One last holdout. I figured breeding season was over, but evidently this fellow disagrees.

I removed this spider egg sac lest it get buried during a project. It ripped open and all the eggs were visible.

Poofy afternoon clouds.

Frumpkin, Older Daughter's cat, looking exceptionally cute.

So there you go, some random photos from the last few weeks. Hopefully I'll get all my writing deadlines done in the next couple of days and can un-fry my brain.

The tiniest smack

Around here, the most common species of hummingbird is the broad-tailed hummer. Their most unique characteristics are the broad tail (duh) and the noise they make. According to Audubon, "The metallic wing-trill of the male Broad-tailed Hummingbird is a characteristic sound of summer in the mountain west. This sound is often heard as a flying bird zings past unseen."

A couple weeks ago – September 4, to be exact – I heard a tiny "smack" against the window. I looked out and saw a hummingbird lying stunned on the deck.

It's not normal for hummers to smack into windows, although it happened once last year. The bird seemed a big dazed, so I gently picked it up and set it on a table to recover. It looked at me with a bright eye.

I'm fairly certain this is either a female or an immature male broad-tailed hummingbird. Here's a photo from the "All About Birds" website: 

I didn't probe this little bird's tail feathers, so I didn't see the rusty markings; but everything else seemed spot-on.

The creature took a few minutes to recuperate...

...then it zipped off into oblivion.

The hummers have been gone for a couple weeks now. It's past time for their fall migration, so assuming this bird didn't have any permanent damage from smacking into the window, it's on its way to Mexico for the winter. Bon voyage!

Help for a hummingbird

We have loads of hummingbirds around us. As far as I can tell, they're broad-tailed hummers.

Early one morning as I was working on my computer, Mr. Darcy was outside on the deck. All was quiet and peaceful. Suddenly I heard a soft "thunk" and looked out to see Darcy staring at something under the window. To his credit, he didn't pounce. He just stared.

I went out and this is what I saw.

A female hummer had smacked herself unconscious. Or dead. Wasn't sure which.

In all the years I've kept hummingbird feeders, I've never known a hummer to hit a window. I guess there's a first time for everything.

I got a plastic bowl with a lid as a recovery cage, and gently picked her up. I was relieved to see she was still alive, though I wasn't sure how injured.

I put the lid over the bowl but didn't snap it down (didn't want to cut off her oxygen) and brought her indoors, where I left her alone for about 10 minutes. Then I carefully lifted the lid and she started buzzing her wings.

I took the bowl outside, lifted the lid, and she zoomed away instantly. Good!

The only thing she left behind was some droppings. Because of their mostly liquid diet, hummers dribble urine almost constantly.

I washed the bowl and went about my day.

So, hopefully, did she.

Hummingbird wars

Who doesn't enjoy watching hummingbirds during the summer months?

I mean really, it's such cheap entertainment. An inexpensive feeder, a bit of sugar-water, and voilà: Hours of birdwatching.

But let me tell ya, it's a good thing these little guys aren't six feet tall or they would rule the world. Seldom do you meet such martial birds intent on dominating everything. Their fights around the birdfeeder can be vicious.

This little guy, perched so innocently and picturesquely on our yard fence, is cleverly positioned to watch and defend the feeder.

The moment an unacceptable hummer gets too close, the defender zooms into action, cheeping its outrage and chasing opponents away. Often the hummers will bodily smash into each other in fast motion. You get five or six of these tiny pilots duking it out, and it can be positively dangerous to step out onto the porch.

But watching them is just pure delight.

Here's a rare instance of full cooperation at the feeder. Needless to say, it didn't last.

As I said: What a blessing these guys aren't the size of ostriches or no one would be safe.

Birds everywhere

Needless to say, this is the time of year we're dripping with birds. Here are a few we've seen.

Western bluebird.

Robin. Still one of my favorite birds.

Black-chinned hummingbird.

Barn swallow.

Tree swallow (down at the lake).

Osprey (down at the lake).

Loon (down at the lake).

Canada geese (with wood ducks behind)(down at the lake).

Mallards (down at the lake).

Eurasian collared dove.

Killdeer (three of them).

Meanwhile we have a blackbird nest in the corner post of the garden.

Here's the mother, eyeing me suspiciously.

She's sitting on five eggs.

A few days later, the babies had hatched.

Bump the post slightly, and mouths pop open.

Here's the mother, scolding me with her mouth full.

Here's a male red-winged blackbird. We have numerous nests in the cattails in our pond.

As a side note, yesterday a hawk flew low over me clutching a squirrel in its talon. What a windfall for the hawk. For the squirrel, not so much.