Hummingbirds for Christmas

Imagine seeing this beautiful male Costa's Hummingbird outside your window one morning. Just enjoying one of these birds would be great, right?

Now, multiply this one bird by 50!!!

Our friends, Kurt and Candice, invited us down to the desert this week to witness an amazing spectacle going on at their home. When the hummingbirds started arriving in November, they added one feeder after another as more and more of these flying gems showed up.  Now they have 4 main huge feeders which need to be refilled twice a day!

Watching these birds is mesmerizing! When they aren't at the feeders, they become royal purple Christmas ornaments in the nearby tree.

When you stand close to the feeder, you feel the slight wind and hear the constant humming from their rapid wing beat. You might even get lucky and have one perch on your finger.Wow!

Click on this video to get a glimpse of these fantastic birds!

I found this quote that I wanted to share. Unfortunately, the author was not listed.

"Like a hummingbird, we aspire to hover and to savor each moment as it passes, embrace all that life has to offer and to celebrate the joy of everyday. The hummingbird's delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life's sweetest creation." Anonymous

Thank you!

Click on photos to enlarge. 

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Cute, Colorful, Bold and Daring - Birds over the last month

It's been a month since my last blog entry so this one is a collection of favorite sightings from different spots over the last month.

Our last trip to the San Jacinto Wildlife Refuge was so exciting that we decided to visit again. When you leave the congested roads behind and enter this unique haven, you immediately realize the importance of protecting this refuge from encroaching development.

On this trip, we didn't see the "Ferocious Trio" as recorded in the previous blog. Instead, the highlight was a large flock of Mountain Bluebirds. What a sight! These brilliant sky blue birds are so beautiful! Since they breed in higher elevations further north in the Sierra Mts and to the west of us, it is a treat to catch a glimpse of them in the Winter.

Another uncommon bird to see except during the Winter is the Red-breasted Merganser. I unexpectedly came upon one of these birds in a duck pond. I remember my unsuccessful attempts at getting a photo at nearby Lake Hemet a month ago. Yeah!

Another vital place for wildlife conservation is the Tijuana Sanctuary located south of San Diego near the Mexican border. In fact, you can see Mexico and its prominent bullring from the beach.

The highlight of this trip was finding a flock of incredibly cute Snowy Plovers resting in depressions in the sand on the beach. Like many shorebirds that nest in the open, they are extremely vulnerable during breeding.

I've covered cute and colorful. Now, the bold and daring.

I loved seeing these 3 birds - American Kestral, Acorn Woodpecker and Northern Flicker.

The Acorn Woodpecker and Northern flicker kept an eye on the potential "troublemaker" of the neighborhood. When the Kestral flew to another snag, they followed.

A big surprise occurred when I tried to photograph this Western Bluebird. He turned his back on me and started to chase a Whip-tailed Lizard, unsuccessfully. That was a first!

The latest outing was to a rural area north of Barstow where agricultural fields and dairy farms dominate the landscape.

White-crowned Sparrow

One agricultural field growing alfalfa had a hedge of milo. The birds loved it! We saw countless sparrows and meadowlarks feasting on the seed.

This isn't the greatest photo but it has some pretty impressive birds in it. Three Inca Doves and one Ruddy Ground-Dove, a Mexican bird. Birders will be heading to this spot to search for this rare visitor!

Another distant photo of an impressive bird - the Ferruginous Hawk.

It comes for the winter to agricultural fields in California. This was the closest look we had of the largest hawk in North America. We saw this one just before sunset.

Finally, we had our first snowfall on Thanksgiving weekend just as the annual  lighting of the Christmas tree in the center of town was occurring. The snow is quickly melting. Our little "Pooh" snowman is now a memory.

This is a good time of year to remember to help our wildlife.

A simple way to help wildlife refuges is to buy a duck stamp. The proceeds help fund these special places.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.