There are still a few around. Young ones. We've considered pulling the feeders, sending the little buggers on their way, not wishing to keep them too late in the season. But the books say they'll go when they're ready so we continue to indulge the little rascals. If nothing else, they'll have a full tank for the long flight south.
Note: Between last Saturday when I composed this post and today's publishing, a cold front blew through. The hummers seem to have taken the cue. They're gone. Safe journeys, little guys. See you next tax day.
Like nothing else, these little ones measure the year. The last week of September I took down my feeders...but they were already gone. They know...
ReplyDeleteLoved this post, Mike. And fantastic photos. They're hard to capture!
They do indeed measure the year, Erin, and help us to remember that the calendar is just an artificial construct - manufactured to help man's small mind deal with the flow time. The rhythms of nature are the true measure.
ReplyDeleteAnd, if you watch the hummers long enough, you realize that they run on a clockspring of their own. Wound tightly.
I think there's a story in this.
Ours are largely gone. I miss the little buggers, but given their willingness to buzz anyone on the back porch who got too close to the feeder (their Human Exclusion Zone covered most of the porch), I'm enjoying the quiet.
ReplyDeleteThe L&T and I had heard you can keep them around too long if you keep the feeders up, so the first two years we agonized over when to take them down.
The next year we woke up one morning with everything on the back porch frozen and the feeders sitting unused, and realized we didn't need to worry.
They do rule the roost, don't they. Being nose-to-nose with a tiny buzz saw is definitely an interesting experience. Thankfully, most of their pugnacity is reserved for one another.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Tom!
great shots!
ReplyDeleteglad you were able to fill them up before they went on vacation...
Hi test, Sean. 3-to-1.
ReplyDelete