Sunday, April 26, 2015

ON THE DECK: Welcoming the hummers back to Unionville

The hummingbirds are back!
I saw the first one of the season, a female, Sunday afternoon in my backyard, followed shortly by a male. Thank goodness I took the advice of the folks at Wild Birds Unlimited in Hockessin and hung my hummingbird feeder out early.
For such tiny birds, the hummingbirds are very bold: the female kept harassing a nonplussed female cardinal.
It was a great bird-watching afternoon. I saw a pair of chickadees making a nest in the birdhouse I have hanging out back. One would fly into the house carrying a beakful of twigs and fluff while the other kept guard on a nearby branch. Soon I'll be able to hear the squeals of the hungry babies!
To add to the fun, a squawking crow was circling with the buzzards, rowdy red-winged blackbirds were making regular feeder visits, a red-bellied woodpecker was jumping around on the still-bare branches of the walnut tree, swallows were darting over the meadow, where the yellow mustard is just starting to bloom, and the mourning doves kept up a steady cooing from the ground.

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