Abundant Hummingbirds

Now that I've settle along the creek for a spell my hummingbird feeder is as active as ever. If I stayed on my toes, I could refill the 2+ cup feeder 2-3 times a day. But I'm not always around that much, so they have to go part of the day without. Generally I like to feed them in the evening so that they can have some left over for the morning. Even when empty, there is seemingly a constant parade of hummingbirds coming to see if there is any feed. Yesterday morning they came to the feeder still in my hand before I could get out the door.

No signs of any aggressive hummingbirds now. There is just a free flow of nice ones. I'm grateful.

Summer in oak creek canyon is very nice and close to nature. A walk to go swimming in the creek gives rise to stopping to enjoy some wild blackberries. All the elements are strong and bold in the fullness of summer right now. Abundant air and sun. Water is cold and refreshing. The earth element livens the senses with sights, smells and sounds. Sing a lullaby sweet summer nature elements. I freely escape the otherwise harsh human world into your lovely songs of nature.

Hot Air Pop Corn Popper

I recently bought a "Windmere" hot air popcorn popper that I found used at the local Goodwill. I had been looking for one for a while and found them in short supply at ordinary department stores. It made me wonder, do they make pop corn poppers anymore? So, when I found this used one I decided that was the one.

The hot air popper has the advantage of not using oil and cleanup is almost non-existent. The only problem is that upon first use, despite using the plastic hood that normally would direct the popcorn down into the serving bowl, the popcorn was ending up all over the kitchen. Also, many of the unpopped kernels made it out of the popper early on. Upon subsequent popping attempts I used a cloth napkin fastened at the end of the hood to contain the popping corn and direct it into the bowl. This worked much better.

Of course any health benefit of cooking popcorn dry is mitigated by the drenching of melted butter and salt onto the popcorn. YUM!

Why I feed the Hummingbirds

I love the idea that I am giving to another creature. The hummingbirds are so frail but hardly meek. They are characters and exhibit a social order. And, when I give to them by feeding them the sugar water solution I feel joy. They somehow are symbols of joy as well. And as part of this process, I secretly believe that since I am so selfishly just giving to other creatures, that somehow the good karma or benefits of my act will return to me. But, I don't think about it that much.

I love the hummingbirds as I feed them and watch them come up. I still have the orange ones chasing away many of the other hummingbirds. Sometimes, I'm a bit ashamed to admit, I throw rocks at the aggressive orange ones. But I know that my aim is poor and the birds reflexes and speed will well protect from the possibility of actually being hit. Again, I yearn for a return to an abundant feeder where all of the hummingbirds come up together and dance and share like a festival for hummingbirds.

The Golden Hummingbird

The other evening I didn't refill the feeder for half a day, hoping the agressive hummingbird would go away if there was nothing to defend. I sat outside with no feeder for a while and noticed that the aggressive bird was not around. Then a black headed hummingbird came up to drink, finding no feeder, then flew away. The aggressive part-goldbird with the shortish beak didn't appear to drive this one away. I thought it was a good sign so I went inside to prepare the feeder. I returned the feeder to its normal position in the tree, just outside my door and waited. I think a green hummingbird came to drink, but it wasn't long before the agressive hummingbird appeared. What was I to do? How could I resolve this tragedy? Thoughts of trying to capture or even kill the aggressive hummingbird crossed my mind. But no, these were no solution. I just had to wait, be patient and observe. Besides, who was I to judge or fully understand hummingbird social behavoir.

After a while, however, the next morning I noticed the appearance of the "golden hummingbird." There is only one of these. It seems related in color to the aggressive bird who has much more green on it. The golden hummingbird is all gold with just a bit of light grey below the front neck. When facing you the face of the golden hummingbird glows with glittering orange/gold feathers. The golden hummingbird is aggressive too, as I've noticed in the past during abundant times in the history of the feeder. But it was never as aggressive as its green cousin. The golden hummingbird did serve to drive away the aggressive bird, as well as some of the others. But ultimately the golden hummingbird does allow others to drink, and doesn't stay at the feeder all day long. So, I think we are on our way back to re-establishing a full healthy symphony of hummingbirds returning to the feeder. It will likely, however, take a few days. I will keep you posted.

Ants are a problem too. Ants will often crawl down the feeder and cover it getting in the way of the hummingbirds access to the feeder holes. To resolve this problem I've used a type of greasy substance to put on the wire that holds the feeder. Today I've purchased some vaseline pure petroleum jelly for just that purpose. I plan to use it each time I refill the feeder.

Hummingbird Feeder

Life is miserable and full of suffering. But at least I have my hummingbirds. When the feeder is going well, there are numerous hummingbirds flying about jostling for a position at the feeder. Many times I've had as many as 8 or 9 hummingbirds at a time. That brings me to a world that I can escape into, a world of joy and feeling abundant. I sit at my chair and watch them in the mornings before work and the evenings after work. I notice their colors and other features and their behavior. Much of which I will go into detail about. But for now the hummingbird feeder is sitting in my kitchen sink. I've removed it from active duty today. That makes me sad and is perhaps a reflection of how life is going in some way.

The hummingbirds often chase each other and jostle for position at the feeder. But usually it is just fun and games. But I went away for a few days and had someone else mainain the feeder for me. But when I got back there weren't very many hummingbirds. They were all being driven away by one very aggressive hummingbird who stood watch all day chasing any others away. It is a basic green hummingbird with some gold on its tail feathers and lower body. I've been upset that this is happening, so this morning I just decided to remove the feeder. Now the aggressive hummingbird has nothing to defend, although he was still up to it this morning before work.