The Joy of Hummingbirds

The autumn season in the Midwest brings cooler, more comfortable temperatures, a stunning array of colorful leaves and crisp, sweet apples ripe for picking. When the month of October arrives, I know the departure of our little Ruby-throated Hummingbird friends is not far away. It's no secret I love hummingbirds. Last fall I wrote a blog about my experiences with these tiny fascinating creatures titled Hummingbird Delight.

This past summer, Bruce and I took great pleasure in watching what seemed like hundreds of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds visit the fifteen feeders on our country property. This post features many of the hummingbirds seen over the last few months. It is time to bid adieu to these feisty, diminutive birds who so skillfully perform breathtaking aerial displays. They will surely be missed.

A common sight on our property over the spring and summer months ~ Ruby-throated Hummingbird

 

I did not know hummingbirds were capable of opening their beaks so wide until I witnessed this male exhibit the behavior several times

 

My, what a long tongue this hummingbird has!

 

Ready for departure ~ Take note of the small red feathers developing on the neck (gorget) of this young dashing male

 

A little itchy ~ I marvel at the minuscule feet

 

 A hummingbird wipes its long beak across the branch as if it is a violinist drawing the bow along violin strings

 

All fluffed up!

 

A little action at the feeder

 

While rehanging a feeder, I heard a chirping commotion behind my back ~ I turned around to find these two hummingbirds in a heated dispute

 

Using their beaks like swords ~ Dueling for ownership of the feeder

 

Pleasantly plump for the long migration south

 

Until next year ...



Country Critters

Our beautiful country property is a haven for wildlife. We have owned the land for four years and have marvelled time and again at the lovely creatures who habituate on or in the vacinity of our acreage. Below are several photographs of beautiful animals seen in the country.

I was thrilled to observe this little spotted fawn leaping about gleefully on a grassy area of our property

With fifteen hummingbird feeders hung on our acreage, these diminutive, feisty birds are a common summer sight ~ Juvenile male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Female Eastern Box Turtles are often seen in the spring in search of suitable sandy soil to lay their eggs

In a recent post, Goodbye to Spring, I featured photographs of this beautiful Sandhill Crane family ~ As you can see, the two trailing youngsters have grown up quite a bit from the gawky, spindly-legged fluff balls seen only a month ago

This is our spirited young hooved neighbor across the street ~ I love the faint russet color on his stunning coat ~ He certainly is a gorgeous boy!

A slithery Blue Racer peeks out from between some old logs ~ We have seen these snakes curled around the mid to lower limbs of pine trees

Little Chipmunks are a common sight ~ They camp out under the bird feeders and stuff their cheeks with sunflower seeds

I spotted this Wild Turkey in an area where I scatter sunflower seeds for the birds ~ Upon closer look, I noticed a mini version of the female enjoying the tasty treats as well ~ Then, ...

... I was taken by surprise and delighted when six of her offspring popped out from the forest ground cover ~ Since these images were taken, we have seen this busy mama turkey and her youngsters quite often ~ The little gobblers are growing rapidly!

A lovely doe wades in a green sea of corn

This Eastern Hognose Snake resided in our peach and apple orchard until torrential rains displaced it

This year our bluebird houses were quite busy ~ Lots of nests were built but most were abandoned. We were fortunate to have at least two Eastern Bluebird broods raised successfully

One of our two curious canine critters ~ This is Honey ~ She was fascinated by this Eastern Box Turtle, as this was her first meeting with a shelled reptile

A Closer Look: Part 2

This is part 2 of a 3 part series featuring beautiful nature sightings captured on our lovely property in the country.

This handsome Eastern Bluebird and his mate are currently waiting for their 5 powder blue eggs to hatch

The beautiful newly formed leaves of an oak tree

An exquisite Twelve-spotted Skimmer sets down on a thorny branch

This Haploa Colona Moth was spotted atop forest ground cover ~ I find its markings quite interesting

This Red-eared Slider Turtle most likely journeyed up from the marsh in search of sandy soil to lay her eggs

A striking damselfly rests upon lush, green forest foliage

Love is in the air!

Brilliant wild strawberries dot the prairie area of our property

Take a closer look ~ This caterpillar resembles a leaf