Autumnal Thoughts

Well, it seems the Hummingbirds have all gone south by now. We had left our feeders up until today just in case a late migrant came looking for a fill-up. We always hate to see them go but know they will return in 6 months.

The good news is that our favorite little family of Sandhill Cranes has returned! As I left to go out on an errand yesterday, the group of 4 flew right overhead as I drove off. They were headed for the community farm land located a few blocks away. They were coming in so they were only about tree top level. What a surprise and thrill to see them. For the last few years we've been referring to them as the "triplets" - Mom, Dad, and Baby, but it seems they have added another member. How great is that?! This year I plan to sneak down there and get some really good photos of them, like the ones I see in the newspaper all the time.

Other visitors we have seen lately are White-breasted Nuthatch, Scrub Jay, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Western Kingbirds. I believe there is also a Flicker and maybe some woodpeckers but we just haven't gotten a good look at them. Meanwhile, we are keeping a stock of peanuts available for them.

We always enjoy the change of seasons and the prospect of seeing new visitors to our humble Rancho. We hope that one day the cranes will stop in here for an up close and personal visit.

Stay tuned for more. . .

Its Hummer Time!

Well, I am happy to report that our first Black-chinned Hummer male arrived the evening of Tues. April 13th! He was a very thirsty little guy. A second male arrived on Thurs. 4/15, right on schedule. Then a female showed up on Friday. Very unusual so early. The three of them have been raising a ruckus ever since. I think that maybe one or two more have showed up by today but it is hard to be sure. We've had a rainy day and that is usually when birds show up. Anyway, we are just so thrilled to have them back!

We have also seen and heard our little American Goldfinches. They are in the trees but we haven't seen much of them on the thistle feeder yet. Love those sweet little Goldies!

I also saw my first Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly a couple days ago. They are so graceful and beautiful. It seems a little early for them though. The weather is still very unsettled and windy. Today the temp dropped to 41 with the rain and will be 38 overnight but by Saturday it is supposed to be back in the mid-60s! That's our crazy Spring in New Mexico.

More to come . . .

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Spring!

Yes, Spring is really here and the allergies are flying!

Speaking of that, the Sandhill Crane migration is finally slowing down. I saw some flights just a few days ago. I thought they had all gone by now.

About a month ago our male Red-winged Blackbirds returned. Last year it started with 6 or 8 males. This year we got 10-12! They are all over our yard and the one across the street. They are real seed hogs, too! I have to fill even the big feeders every day instead of every 2-3 days. They are pretty to watch and fun to listen to but they can be a bit annoying.

We also had some late season Mountain Chickadees show up and they just recently moved onward. We have been on the lookout for our favorite Goldfinches. They usually hang around all winter but not this year. I finally saw one male Lesser Goldfinch on the thistle feeder last Thursday. I hope he's here to stay and brings his family too.

Of course, as of April 1st we are keeping a keen ear and eye out for our namesake Hummingbirds! The first two feeders went up Saturday (4/3). They are the glass egg-shaped ones (made by GardenJewels, bought at Wild Birds Unlimited) that just fit in-between the iron bars on our windows. We put one on the kitchen window (south) and one on the window of our laundry room (east). Both can be seen from the kitchen. Usually, the first male will show up around sunset on a day that is very windy, after a storm. I'm watching!

The temps have finally reached the 60s this past week. I hope it stays. We've had enough cold this year. There have been flowering trees and bushes all over town since late February. Everyone has been worried that they might freeze but so far so good. Our usual last freeze date is April 15th.

Stay tuned . . .

Welcome 2010!

Well, it surely looks like Spring is coming soon, despite what the prognosticating ground hog or others had to say about it. The northward migration of the Sandhill Cranes started last week. The Canada Geese and ducks are also following. Our six male Red-winged Blackbirds showed up earlier this week. They are filling the air with their distinctive songs and cleaning out the feeders every day! Speaking of songs, there are so many beautiful spring songs from the Juncos and Bushtits. Last week or so I saw Mountain Chickadees that I hadn't noticed before. They have a sweet spring song, too. The Robins returned a couple weeks ago and they seem to be everywhere too. Today I noticed that the Mourning Dove male of our annual pair has arrived. I've also seen a Roadrunner hanging around this week. Our Ruby-headed Kinglet is also still around singing his spring song. The Ladder-back Woodpeckers have been here all winter enjoying our suet cakes. In the evenings we hear the great Grackle chorus singing to the sunset. I really love this time of year. It is so uplifting.