As I hope you can see from this really lousy photo I took, I've got a more respectable number of hummers freeloading right now. But I don't think these guys are local. I suspect they are early migrators, stopping in for a drink as they get the hell out of Dodge. The drought and heat continue to be brutal. I can't remember the last time it rained.
This miserable weather is sapping my energy, but I swear I'll rally and have a proper post tomorrow. Maybe something perverse and unwholesome. Stay tuned...
6 comments:
DAMN! And I feel lucky if I even see a hummingbird all summer around here. Do you buy commercial nectar for the feeder or do you make your own?
Oh, I make my own. I flatter myself that they like it better ;-)
Actually, after years of watching them, it's clear to me that they have definite ideas about the nectar. They like it very fresh, preferably still a little warm from the stove. Lots of bird books tell you to make it ahead and store the extra in the fridge, but the hummers know! They will always go for the batch that hasn't been refrigerated.
Also, they don't much like goofy feeders. They like simple ones such as the one in the pic, and they prefer ones with perches.
Speaking of dry and hot, did you know that people in the South are selling their horses and livestock because they have no more pasture and can't find any hay? And hay, if you can find it, is going for $9 a bale, up from $3 just a couple of years ago. Hard times come again no more.
Hey, Bozo, good to see you!
What really bothers me is the thought of people who don't sell, but just aren't feeding their animals because they can't afford it--or think they can't. That happens more than people realize. I've known of several cases where horses have been starved to death. I reported one myself a few years ago.
That's tragic.
It has an awful knell of 'end of days' about it...
I love those busy buggers !
May all the critters have water aplenty soon..and you, too.
No rain predicted for another week...
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