HUMMINGBIRD MIGRATIONS

Boy, Have I had a ton of hummingbirds entertaining me this morning! I've seen more in the last two hours, than I've seen in the few weeks that I've had my feeder up. Carol, I'm very appreciative that you encouraged me to get this feeder. I was able to find a picture online that is much better than anything I'll ever capture. Wondering about the Hummingbird migration patterns, I found a few basic facts:

Hummingbird Migrations
Humming birds migrate alone, yet many end up at the same exact feeders or gardens where they spent last spring and summer. Although they are solitary migrants, when many are on the move in a good migratory pathway, you may see many in a day. They fly hundreds -- or even thousands -- of miles fueled by nectar. (Many make the 20 hour trip over the Gulf of Mexico without any food or rest)

They migrate in response to hormonal changes that are triggered by changing length of daylight, and nothing you do will make them stay too long in the fall. Males migrate first, females follow a few days to a couple of weeks or so behind them. Immature hummers are the last to leave, (still new to everything)

Cool weather may call for an early exit and warmer days may extend their visit, but they will leave. But they remember your feeders from previous trips, so keep them clean and filled. Which is what I must do right now. Mine is just about empty. I think these hummers are trying to get out of town, before we get the cool front coming in this weekend.

Spring Hummingbird Migration begins February 3, 2010

The Hunt for Orbs in Red October

Our quest for Orbs and their meaning takes us back to the North Sea Coast of Scotland. If ever there was a site ripe for spirited visitation, Dunnottar Castle may be it. Dunnottar is itself a ruin that bears mute testimony to untold suffering through battles, pillaging, imprisonment and torture. The very walls reek of these tales. The question for our ponder is, what do the Orbs tell?

Dunnottar's darkest moment came in May 1685 when 167 Covenanter prisoners, 122 men and 45 women, were locked in the Whig's Vault below one of the buildings in the Quadrangle. Some died of starvation and disease, while others were killed after trying to escape. The barely-surviving remnant were transported to the colonies where most died of fever.

Ok everyone, the previous post would only take 5 pictures, and Jan has 7 great pictures to offer us. So here's the last two pictures. Jan's accompanying description is on the post directly before this.

Posted for Jan.

Jans trip to the Balloon Fiesta!

Here are 7 pictures at the balloon fiesta, 2009. The 1st is a balloon and they are gassing it up on the opposite side. 2) blowing gas into this balloon 3) we came upon this one by accident - the man in the blue and yellow shirt is our mayor, Martin Chavez 4) same balloon with mayor- as the balloon was ascending, a woman sang the national anthem - we were standing under the balloon as it was going up and the flag grazed the tops of our heads 5) a line of balloons getting gassed 6) Mass ascension - I like the lady bug 7) more of mass ascension - the cow is the biggest balloon there - takes the most time to get airborne.

Posted for Jan

Craziness continued from the last blog post. Hang on tight!

Harry

This is not a good picture of Harry, the Great Blue Heron, but it's the best I can get right now. Harry was across the river fishing yesterday. I had to put my little digital on full zoom and try to balance it on the front porch rail to keep it still enough so the picture wouldn't be a total blur. I will keep waiting for Harry to get closer.









I was chasing Ellen, the Great White Egret or Great Egret, in my boat a couple of weeks ago hoping she would stop so I could photograph her but she must have been on a mission. We have more of the the Great White Egrets here than the Great Blue Herons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Blue_Heron

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Egret

These are reference photos. You must read the comments to understand their meaning.

Black As Coal

I was far far away at the time of Jan's post about her snail, "Slow and Steady."
It must have been another one of those
"uncoincidences" that I was having my own snail experience a world away at the site of "The Nine Staines." We had to climb over quite a bit of "heath and hill" to get to the stones. During the walk back, Hubs spotted this little critter that nearly ended up beneath his foot. I snapped the creature's photo with the intention of "looking him up" upon return.
Here is what I discovered about "the black slug also known as black arion, European black slug, or large black slug, Arion ater, is a species of large land slug, a terrestrial slug in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_slug

"Snail, snail, Come out of your hole

Or else I'll beat you, As black as coal.

Snail, snail, Put out your horns.

I'll give you bread, And barley corns."

(English Nursery Rhyme)