This Weeks Creature Feature … On Their Way Out
With summer at an end, hummers prepare for their long journey south
Two hummingbirds have been warring in my backyard over nectar the color of cherry Kool-Aid.
They hover, frozen in time, sipping at the feeder and my hibiscus plants. I sit frozen too, watching them.
I hear them first, hum-hum-hum-hum. Then I see them, with iridescent wings hovering in mid-air as they eat. Tireless and melodic, they remind me that life is meant to be savored.
They are delicate, yet so swift and elusive that I’ve yet to capture their beauty on camera. All my photos are blurred.
They are bold too, as they weave among the woodpeckers and blue jays.
Of my two, Big Greenie lingers longer, darting around feeder and flowers. Small Greenie, eating only at the feeder, is in and out in a flash.
Big Greenie is territorial. He often chases off smaller Greenie.
Like summer, they are on their way out. In September, ruby-throated hummingbirds like mine migrate to winter in Central America, from Mexico to Panama.
I know Big and Small Greenie are getting ready for their long journey. For the past few weeks, their appetites have been voracious.