A Cardinal Couple

Gehanna

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The room, where I am now and where I spend a considerable amount of time, has a large window that allows for a great view of nature.

Last summer, I noticed that a particular humming bird would fly up to the window, hover in place for a moment and then fly away. The humming bird returned many times and each time the same thing happened. The visitations would really excite me because I never knew when to expect them.

Even tho I realize that the humming bird likely took a fancy with its own reflection, it felt like the bird was looking right at me. This would make me laugh which turned out to be a blessing because it helped to break up the monotony of my daily routine.

(I once had a frog turn its head to look at me when I stooped down to look at it! This freaked me out soo much that I jumped backwards and fell right on my bum! I had no idea that a frog could turn its head to the side like that! lol but that is another story.....)

Back to the birds,

This year I decided to put a bird feeder in front of my window and also a humming bird feeder. I was very excited to see which bird type would be among the first to visit the feeders.

It turns out that the first to visit are a couple! A male and female Cardinal and they are absolutely incredible! The male has such an amazingly vibrant red color that I can feel the grounding effect right from my root chakra!...now there's vibrancy for ya. lol

The female, despite lack of vivid coloring, touches my soul as significantly as the male. As I watch her eat from the feeder, she impresses upon me in such manner that I am unable to find words to describe it.

The only thing I know to tell you about this experience is to say, "Amazing! Simply Amazing!"

I do hope to see a humming bird soon.

Sincerely,
Gehanna
 

awatkins

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Oh, thank you so much for sharing that story, Gehanna! I've been seeing hummingbirds here (north Alabama) for a week or so now and I'm having a blast watching them scuffle over the feeder.

I have a long porch rail right in front of my window and a couple of years ago began feeding the wild birds on it. They are amazing! On any given day I might see cardinals, blue jays, mockingbirds (rarely but they do visit), sparrows, wrens, and sometimes even crows. So many different species visit that I can't remember them all.

At first my parrots would scream bloody murder when they saw any of the wild birds but they are now used to seeing them appear right outside their window. :)

Hope you see a hummingbird soon!
 

Gehanna

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Thank you awatkins. :)
 

Gehanna

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GUESS WHAT! .. oops pardon the caps. I got overly excited here but guess what?

At exactly 1700 hours or approx 8 min ago. a Hummingbird showed up!!

Gehanna
 

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Yay!! Aren't they just the coolest little things??

I believe some of the ones I have are the same ones that visit from year to year. The first one I saw this year buzzed right up to where the feeder usually hangs. As soon as I saw him, I rushed to get the nectar out for him!

Thanks for posting! Anybody else have hummingbirds yet?

Wish I had a cool smiley for a hummingbird. :)
 

Gehanna

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Do you happen to know how often I should change the nectar in the feeder?
 

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As long as the weather is cool, every few days will be okay. But once the weather heats up and the nectar gets hot, too, you'll need to check it at least every couple of days. You want to change it before it spoils. I try to check mine every other day during the summer.

If your hummingbird brings his friends, they'll drink it all up so fast you won't have to wonder when to change it. You'll just have to keep rinsing the feeder out and filling it back up! :D
 

Gehanna

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Ok thank you. I should change the nectar tomorrow then for sure.

I am using one of the ant guards above the feeder and so far no ants have invaded it.

Gehanna
 

awatkins

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You're very welcome.

Do you have any trouble with wasps? That's my main problem.

Ah...Ferment. That's the word I was looking for earlier. If the nectar spends too much time in the heat, it'll ferment. Sometimes my brain cells don't connect.
 
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Gehanna

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Sometimes my brain cells ferment. lol

Yes, I do have the occasional wasp that comes to the feeder but not very often. I think this may be due to the fact that the hummingbird feeder is in close proximity to the wild bird feeder. I don't know for sure if this is the actual reason for a decreased number of wasps but it is my best guess at the moment.

Both feeders are hung on a double Shepherd's hook pole that stands in front of my window. This is why they are close to each other. I was worried at first that it may keep the Humming birds away but now I don't have to worry about that anymore.

Gehanna
 

awatkins

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That must have been what happened to me. My brain cells fermented. Heehee!

My wild bird feeder and the hummingbird feeder are within feet of each other but nobody seems to mind. Sometimes it's so busy out there it looks like I need to put up a traffic light or something. I just love all those feathered critters!
 

Gehanna

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I was watching the Cardinal Couple eat from the bird feeder yesterday when all of a sudden the female pecked the male rather forcefully on the side of his throat. He quickly flew away after that and I am curious as to why she did it? ... Was she ticked off because he took the last sunflower seed or what? Sheesh. lol
 

Gehanna

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Goodbye my hummingbird beauties and farewell my Cardinal couple. I hope to see you again when the time comes.

What a blessing they were.

My new visitor is a Wolf Spider. It lives beside the steps to my house and patrols the surrounding area under my carport each evening. :)
 

awatkins

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Are wolf spiders those great big ones that spin the gigantic webs? That could be what's taken up residence in a corner of my front porch. It's almost big enough to take down a hummingbird.
 

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I stopped using a hummingbird feeder when I noticed that the hummingbirds preferred flowers and consistently neglected the feeder.

Did I ever post about "my" bluejay? It's one of a pair that hangs around. It swoops down to take a peanut from my hand. Then it buries the peanut.
 

awatkins

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Thanks for the link, Judy! Aren't hummingbirds amazing?

That's neat, reph. I think bluejays are one of the most gorgeous species of birds we have around here! And aren't they the boldest things? How did you get it to take the peanut from your hand? Or was it one of those fly-by-and-grab things? lol.
 

reph

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awatkins said:
How did you get it to take the peanut from your hand? Or was it one of those fly-by-and-grab things?
Both jays took peanuts that I put on the fence rail for squirrels. One of them would take a nut before I walked away. From that stage, it was just a matter of gradually keeping my hand closer to the nut until the bird would grab one I was holding. This jay now comes to the window for peanuts, too.

We still have squirrels. We buy unsalted peanuts in two-pound bags, the biggest they have.
 

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awatkins said:
Thanks for the link, Judy! Aren't hummingbirds amazing?


That's neat, reph. I think bluejays are one of the most gorgeous species of birds we have around here! And aren't they the boldest things? How did you get it to take the peanut from your hand? Or was it one of those fly-by-and-grab things? lol.

I live across the road from a bird sanctuary. The Trumpeter Swans have arrived for the winter! There is a pair that stays in "my" bay all winter long every year. I'm only assuming that they are the same pair.

In September we saw a Northern Hawk Owl in our back yard at around dusk. Plus, there are always Northern Flickers, woodpeckers, ducks, eagles, gulls, terns, etc. on and around the shore.
 

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What a wonderful thing to have across the street, Judy!

Most of my bird friends hang out at the upstairs back balcony where I go to read mornings (weather permitting). It has wooden railings, and if I'm out there long enough they'll get brave and come and perch on the rail. One of them made a nest for its family inside a handcrafted "church" birdhouse that sits on the railing. Reminded me of these verses from Psalm 84, and even inspired a poem one morning!

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Selah
 

awatkins

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reph said:
This jay now comes to the window for peanuts, too.

We still have squirrels. We buy unsalted peanuts in two-pound bags, the biggest they have.

That's cool. That particular jay must feel really comfortable to do that! I noticed the jays that come to our porch tend to go for the cracked corn as well as the peanuts. And all our wild birds tap on the window if the food runs low. I think they're spoiled.

I put peanuts out in back for the squirrels, but sometimes the peanuts are there for days before they disappear. I wonder why? We did have one bold little squirrel who helped himself to the bird food on the front porch rail.
 

awatkins

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threedogpeople said:
I live across the road from a bird sanctuary. The Trumpeter Swans have arrived for the winter! There is a pair that stays in "my" bay all winter long every year. I'm only assuming that they are the same pair.

In September we saw a Northern Hawk Owl in our back yard at around dusk. Plus, there are always Northern Flickers, woodpeckers, ducks, eagles, gulls, terns, etc. on and around the shore.

Oh, how awesome that must be! I'd probably spend all my time with the binoculars glued to my face, trying not to miss anything. :)
 

awatkins

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pb10220 said:
Most of my bird friends hang out at the upstairs back balcony where I go to read mornings (weather permitting). It has wooden railings, and if I'm out there long enough they'll get brave and come and perch on the rail. One of them made a nest for its family inside a handcrafted "church" birdhouse that sits on the railing. Reminded me of these verses from Psalm 84, and even inspired a poem one morning!

Ah! I'm going to have to try putting a birdhouse where I can watch it. Every year we say we're going to but never have. I do enjoy walking the property listening to the babies cheeping in the spring/summer, though. And we enjoy collecting the old nests in the fall. It fascinates me to see how they are constructed.

That's a lovely Psalm, Pat. :)