Friday, July 18, 2008

Squawking like a pink monkey bird


As I sit at my computer, I am watching the hummingbirds outside my kitchen window. I have three feeders out and I fill them every other day. I have seen a dozen or more hummers at a time. They buzz and hover at the feeders making their funny squawking/clicking sounds all the while. They seem to crave companionship; but they fight constantly with each other. Just like humans, huh?

Out in the barn, I have 5 or 6 active nests of barn swallows. (This spring I counted 30 birds looking for places to nest.) All day long they blitz and swoop in and out of the barn looking for insects. They are very loud, always chattering amongst themselves, perched high up on the metal pipe supports of the barn.

I wish I could identify bird songs better. There are so many different kinds of them all the time. It's Nature's most wonderful symphony, the birds of summer.

Update: I filled all the feeders this morning and then I had to fill them again this evening. My, those hummers are thirsty! Then I noticed the sky tonight. Okay, so we can't get the northern lights, but I sure do appreciate our sunrises and sunsets!


















And then I got to thinking about the Northern Lights, which brings me to this video. Watch!
Northern Lights by one of my favorite prog rock bands, Renaissance.

2 comments:

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

I like that song. It's beautiful, just like the Northern Lights, of which I hope to see in person one day.

I'm guessing that your blog title is something that David Bowie sang?
What a title! hehe

But it's fitting because of how active your feeders are. I was surprised at all the hummer activity when I was at your house the other day. Wow!

On a positive note here, I changed the 'nectar' in my two feeders, and the hummers are finally coming back. I guess it didn't taste as fresh, or something. Or maybe the bees contaminated it? I'm just glad that the hummers are back. Love that blitzing and squawking!

Fantastyk Voyager said...

Glad they're visiting you too-I'm running out of sugar! my recipe is 3 parts water / 1 part sugar, warm the water til it's clear.