A Glutton

The hummingbirds have been back since Derby weekend. Their regular time of year to come home. And the babies have all hatched and grown too...there's at least seven little motors flying around the feeders. They're so used to me just being out there they'll fly right up to my face to let me know their juice is low (or even my office window if I'm not outside). So I stood out around the feeder to get a decent picture of one of my "little men." The hummingbirds go through more sugar in a summer than I personally go through in a whole year. It's ridiculous, but they LOVE it! And they have a "squatter" that refuses to leave the bar...

This little bee keeps his head stuck in the holes to get all the juice he can. He hops from hole to hole, and the hummingbirds just hop over top of him to another hole. The only time he steps away from "the bar" is when a wasp wants in on the goods. He actually flew right up beside me as if I was the bouncer to get the wasp out of the way. So I've affectionately named him "glutton."

It's not like I don't have plenty of flowers around for him to get nectar from. How do you get bee to do what he's supposed to do naturally? Guess he fits in around here with the cat who doesn't kill mice. Maybe he's thinking "work smarter, not harder." Seems to be working well for him.

Hungry, Hungry, Hummingbirds

I love the change of season. Every Spring I get my list of projects ready, and one of my favorites is to stock up on sugar to feed the hummingbirds. These little high-energy feathery rockets go through more sugar in one month in the Summer than I go through the whole year myself! And for those of you who want to attract hummingbirds - don't be fooled by the red stuff. They LOVE plain ol' sugar water. I put about a cup of sugar in a 32oz fast-food cup, fill with water - leaving over an inch or two to be able to stir - then pour into the feeder. I end-up refilling every week!

I have a small maple tree that they nest in every year. And every year in May - mom comes home to roost. By the end of Summer I have about eight little guys and gals zipping about my yard. It's certainly a sight to watch. Between my colorful mini hoverboards to the rhythmic glows of the lightning bugs - I could sit and watch for hours. Well, this morning I got a sincere thank you. I have three feeders out this year - normally just two. One feeder is right out my front door off the porch. The little red-breasted guy was a little startled to see me come out the door! But then he hovered in front of my face to just say thanks for all the extra juice! At least that's what I HOPE he was saying!