R.I.P. Hummer

Well, I have bad news. As you should remember I spoke in my last post about the triumphant return of Hummer the hummingbird. Well, I was able to enjoy seeing her buzzing around my backyard for a couple of days. However, it wasn't long after I wrote that post that Hummer vanished. Now, last year it was generally pretty easy to spot her. She didn't usually stray too far from her nest. However I started to get a little concerned when I couldn't seem to locate her. Hummingbirds are very territorial and aggressive. Last year I remember numerous occasions where I saw Hummer chasing off other birds many times her size. Hummingbirds do not abandon their nests easily so, I started to fear that my dear friend Hummer might be dead. Than, a few days ago I came out and found that her nest had been ripped to pieces and her eggs were gone (as shown by the above photo). So, there is really no longer any room for doubt; Hummer is dead. As sad as this is I choose to believe that Hummer died with honor. I believe that Hummer died in an epic battle . . . . with a pterodactyl. And I bet that big flying dinosaur came off a little bit banged up and will think twice about fighting a raging hummingbird again. So, farewell Hummer; when we meet again on the other side you will always be welcome to build a nest in my Celestial backyard.

Hummer is BACK!

It is official; Hummer the Hummingbird has returned to our apple tree. Today I was out in the yard and I looked up to notice that her old nest looked a bit bigger than it had been. So, I got up on the ladder and looked inside to find two little eggs that looked just like a couple of white jelly beans. I saw her a couple of times since then. Good thing I got the hummingbird feeders up a while ago. I'll let everybody know when the eggs hatch.

Hummingbird Update

The little baby hummingbirds have hatched. Trust me, they're in there.

HUMMER THE HUMMINGBIRD

So, for the past few days I have been noticing a hummingbird hanging around in my backyard. I enjoyed watching it fly and I decided to name it Hummer. Not very original but hey, what can ya do? It was always darting back and forth between an old dead fir tree over the fence and one of my apple trees. I figured it must have a nest nearby. I was right. Yesterday I looked up and saw a little nest in my apple tree. I got my ladder and looked inside to find two very small white eggs just about the size of jelly beans. I went online to look up some information and confirmed very quickly that what I was seeing was definitely a hummingbird nest. I have always really liked hummingbirds so I was thrilled to see that one had taken up residence in my yard. Last night I took some pictures of Hummer while she was sitting in her nest in the hopes that I might be able to identify what species of hummingbird she is. All I really got a look at was her neck and most of the five or six species that can be found in Utah look pretty much the same from the neck up. That is especially true of the females because the males are the ones with the bright colors and stuff. I got some pictures this morning of the nest. Sorry, the pictures are a little blurry. My only worry now is what will happen in a few weeks when it’s time to spray the apple tree for the coddling moth again. I don’t know how pesticide will effect the birds but I’m gonna do some research. Yeah, I know. I'm blogging about hummingbirds and pumpkin patches. I really need to get a job.