Hummingbirds and others

[Wilma]

Saw a hummingbird this morning, the first of the season.  I couldn't identify him as he was in a climbing rose and I was inside the house, looking through a window.  I think I saw him very early, while it was still dark enough that there was no color to anything.  Some tiny thing was flying and made a U-turn.  It reminded me of the way the little birds fly.

[Diane Amberg]

There is always something hopeful and happy about the hummers arrivals. They come from so far, I'm always glad to see that at least some make it back every year. Enjoy!

[Diane Amberg]

The little female hummer arrived and enjoyed a long drink and a female wren has arrived .The male is showing her all the available properties to choose from. We have 5 Wren houses so he has to be a good realtor.

[Diane Amberg]

Our Catbirds returned yesterday and this morning I heard a Wood Thrush in the woods across the street. Everyone is back, so I put some mealworms out as a treat.
It's still really cold here, only 53 yesterday and today. Next week the Candian high that is affecting the Gulf Stream is supposed to move, so it should be "normal" next week. I want to get my plants in, but it's just been too cold.

[Diane Amberg]

We have had quite a treat here. A beautiful male Rose- Breasted Grosbeak has been hanging around the feeders for several days. Not uncommon, but they always move on. This pretty fellow is still here and now has not one, but two females with him. I'd never seen a female before. Same seed crushing beak, but lots of stripes. Perhaps they will set up house keeping and nest nearby.
It has not warmed up very much in spite of promises that it would. It just reached 54 yesterday. However, we are expected to have an extra hot mid summer...so who knows? We may go from heat on to air conditioning on with hardly any break in between. The heat still comes on at night. I may be forced to turn it off "just because."

[Diane Amberg]

We had one more pleasant surprise yesterday afternoon. A big Pileated Woodpecker showed up on a  tall fence post in our yard. He hung around for a time and then headed back into the woods again. What a rare treat.

[Wilma]

I was treated to the sight of a rose-breasted grosbeak, also.  He was here only a few days, but having never seen one before, it was a real treat.

At least once a year a pileated woodpecker will visit my yard.  He works my trees over, then moves on to another yard.  It is easy to see where the model for Woody Woodpecker was found.