I was sitting on my patio Fri 18May towards nightfall, around 19:00, when I saw a hummingbird flitting about the honeysuckle. Of course, I didn't have my camera with me.
Hummingbird from a previous year in my neighbor's Campsis
That is the first one seen in 2012. I have only ever seen one at a time in or around my yard for the last three years. I hope I will see more than one at a time this year. Having my camera with me will be good, too.
As I said in several previous posts, I have been trying to attract hummingbirds to my garden for years. Ever since I saw my first while I still living within the Philadelphia city limits. It was there that a hummingbird visited a Fushia planted in a hanging basket hanging near my front door. In my present house, in which I have lived for over 18 years, I planted several Lonicera sempervirens 'Alabama Crimson' to attract hummingbirds. I have seen one hummingbird in my garden for the last three years.
I am not sure it is the same one each year but, I never see more than one at anytime. In any event, I love to watch these creatures so much that I find myself exiting my sliding patio door several times an hour to see if I can catch it around the honeysuckle that is on the side of my house. I usually find it there in the morning and evening when the sun is not hot. As I slowly inch my way around the corner of the house it usually begins to fly darting a few feet from the vine, up, down, left and right. If I get too close it may fly away. Most times, it flies over my neighbors house and then west into a Silver Maple in my backyard. Because of its size I am unable to tell on which branch it perches. Other times it flies towards the front of my house then to the neighbor's Trumpet Vine which is probably a Campsis x tagliabuana kudian "Indian Summer"
My photograph of the hummingbird at my neighbor's Trumpet Vine
or it may fly up and over my roof to a smaller honeysuckle I have in the rear of my house. One of the times, today, it flew to my neighbor's Trumpet Vine. I lost sight of it while it actually flew wholly into each flower. Kind of like the shell game, only to find it on a branch of the climbing rose I also have trained on my trellis. It was just perched there checking me out, from a safe distance. Maybe, it was playing hide and seek with me. If it was playing, it was definitely winning.
Checking me out from a safe distance
This was photographed using a 200mm zoom lens which would make it 4x magnification before cropping
I put down my camera, did some weeding in my flower beds and went inside to wash my hands. I looked outside the sliding patio doors at the zinnias planted about 10 ft away. I was looking for gold finches eating the zinnia seeds, when the hummingbird appeared at the door. It was hovering about 1 ft higher than my head and seemingly looking right into my eye, asking, "Are you coming out to play?" It didn't hover for long and buzzed off towards the honeysuckle on the side of the house. I turned to my wife and told her my impression. She gave me one of those looks as if to say, "You are loosing it!" She turned and flew off over my neighbor's roof turned west and perched in one of the Silver Maples in my backyard. I was able to tell on which branch she perched.
I have seen hummingbirds in my garden over the last three years. The first year I caught site of one in late August. One is the most I have ever seen at one time. Last year I saw one earlier than late August and this year I saw a hummingbird in early June. Every time, except once, the hummingbird was at the honeysuckle vine. Early this week, I saw a hummingbird at my yellow butterfly bush. I was wondering if the dry conditions, caused by lack of rain in the last month, had anything to do with that situation.
Today I saw a hummingbird on the side of the house near the honeysuckle trained on a trellis that hides my chimney. It was darting about as hummingbirds usually do, then perched on the vine for a little while. I didn't have my camera with me at the time. The sky was densely overcast and it had been raining heavily for hours. The sun was also nearing the end of its ride through the heavens and the light level was low for quality photography. The hummingbird buzzed around a little, perched a little, repeating that activity a few times. During one of those cycles it flew close to me, seemingly without seeing me. It did finally notice me when I moved and flew over my neighbors roof around to the west of my backyard and into one of the several Silver Maples there.
I was in and out of the house while grilling some hamburgers for dinner and I checked twice to see if the hummingbird had returned to the honeysuckle. I caught it out of the corner of my eye the first time I looked. The second time I checked, it darted away and I didn't see it again for the evening.
photograph from < http://museevirtuel.ca/Exhibitions/Colibri/En/Hummingbird/The-Life-Of-The-Hummingbird/reproduction.html >
I am beginning to wonder if there is a hummingbird nest in the honeysuckle vine that I can't readily see. This year when I pruned back the vine on the trellis, I found a robin nest that was built last year that I didn't realize was there. Could there be a hummingbird nest in the vine. Their nests are small and I may be looking at it and not recognize it. I may not find out until I prune again.
