First things first.
Happy Birthday Chris!!! Ha Ha Ha....You are now old! From this day forward you can no longer tell people you are 39! Ha Ha Ha....(and if you do, I'll tell on you). Remember, I can still tell when you are lying. ;) That is one skill age will never affect.
Speaking of my sister, in less than three weeks I will be in Georgia with her and her family. It's been five long years since I've seen all of them and I am very excited to be going.
Today I was reminded of why I love spring so much. Yes, there is the profusion of flowers, everywhere. And thankfully I don't have allergies! But, it is the burst of growth that comes with spring...the sudden awakening of evergreens that makes me smile as well.
A concolor fir gets some new color; its so easy to spot the new growth. The color is brighter...more vibrant. The new needles begin as small clumps housed within a tiny, thin skinned cone.
As the pine needles grow, the protective cone drops off, and within days, the tree has a new shaggy appearance.
This new growth is so soft and supple, nothing like the old growth needles with their
prickly, stiff and dry texture. Today I found myself reaching out and running my fingers over the newly sprouted needles, almost in a trance like state.Nature is so very c o o l !
The other day Sara commented in her journal about not getting any birds to her new feeder. Several readers told her to give the birds some time to find the feeder, which is true. Today I filled mine up (for the second time this week), and I'm quite certain the squirrels will find the seeds before the birds do.
But when it comes to hummingbirds, well now that is quite a different story altogether. Two days ago I washed out and refilled my hummingbird feeder. The warmer weather means many things, but most importantly it marks the return of those funny, hyper-active bundles of energy. This morning I noticed the nectar level had dropped about a half an inch. And this afternoon I was sitting on the deck and I heard the distinctive sound...that whirl of wings...that always makes my heart skip a beat. I had my camera ready, and I think this little guy is a Calliope. If so, it is the first Calliope I've ever seen. :)
They're back!!!! Yea!
14 comments:
I love hummingbirds too! They are impossibly fast, impossibly tiny and their nests remind me of tiny straw thimbles. Lovely creatures! :-)
What a beautiful bird. We don`t have them here and I love to see different ones. Lovely spring photos! :-) Sandra xxx
Beautiful entry! reminded me to get my hummingbird feeder but reluctant do to the cats and dogs around here just need to find a place they can't reach, but i love watchin the hummingbirds~kbear
Aren't sisters birthdays fun! Bet you can hardly wait to see her. Really enjoyed your spring photo's, especially the hummingbirds. We have the ruby throated ones here, and my feeder has been cleaned and ready to go....whenever it get warm enough for them to return. ~Deborah
You never cease to amaze me with the beautiful pictures. Happy Birthday Chris. Nicki
I just emailed the link to this entry to my daughter, who absolutely loves hummingbirds. She is going to love these pictures. Great shots!
Jimmy
Dona,
Great pic of that humming bird...I love to watch all the birds. My feeder empties every day...mostly due to the squirrels. But today I saw a baby squirrel trying so hard to reach the feeder from the tree like the bigger ones do. It was so cute, he couldn't do it. I felt bad. But he just ran off across the street to Mr. Cali's. He's got more feeders than the whole town put together! LOL...take care and have fun with sis and family! Diane
Cool pictures! I can tell that you are a nature lover. Love the ladybug and hummingbird pics.
Happy Birthday to your sister Chris! :-) Lovely photos you put up today...
~ www.jerseygirljournal.com
Doubt I'd get anything quite as exotic at my bird feeder!
Lovely pics :o)
Happy Birthday to Chris!!
Sara x
I'm back too (phew am i glad classes are over!) and the pics are great, another cool thing that you have hanging around your house. I'm jealous!
Ahh! I love hummingbirds! We put up feeders, most every year, and never had any takers. :(
BoiseLadie - To attract the hummers, make the first batch of nectar extra strong. Follow the directions on the nectar package, if it calls for one tablespoon of nectar mix to 1 cup of water, then add another 1/2 tablespoon nectar mix, so the total nectar mix is 1.5 tablespoons to 1 cup of water. Try that, then after the hummers find the feeder, next time you refill you can cut back to the original instructions. Let me know if it works.
Sara and Sandra - No hummingbirds in England. Really? I had no idea. :( Well, I'll share mine with you, 'k?
I'm just poking around your journal and found this entry. Thank You for remembering my birthday on your journal! Yes, we are once again in the same decade :::sigh::: I hate getting older. It sucks!
Love ya!
Chris
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