Tag: hummingbird

Phriday Pheathers – Epic Photograph

On By TimelessladyIn Phriday Pheathers10 Comments

I often see hummingbirds in my yard, usually sipping nectar from flowers, but by the time I get my camera they disappear. Yesterday, I was lucky and had camera in hand when I spotted a hummingbird land on a bare branch in the pine tree.

Being able to photograph this beautiful and very fast little bird, was, for me, epic. That brings me in a roundabout way to a new blog challenge I’m taking part in on the Pix to Words blog. Why is it the perfect day to take part? Well, the photo I took might be ordinary to you, but it is EPIC for me, and that is the challenge word for the week. A big thank you to everyone who takes time to offer challenges for bloggers to take part in. Maybe something epic is happening in your week too.

This post is part of Skywatch Friday.

Phlower – Zinnia with “Canary” Petals

On By TimelessladyIn Quirkiness10 Comments

IMG_7578

I am fairly certain this is the second time around in a blog post for this beautiful zinnia. I am gazing at it as I write these words, hoping, hoping, hoping I saved some of the seeds it produced.  As I perused my flower photos this morning, searching for a zinnia that was an all-over “Canary” color for today’s Color Your World – 120 Days of Crayola challenge, I found this beauty instead.  I noticed the central petals on the underside were a perfect canary yellow, and even better, resembled wings as they faced the sky. My choice was easy.

I grow zinnias in garden beds every year. They are a perfect cut flower to bring indoors for bouquets. Zinnias are a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds. The large seeds make them one of the easiest flowers to grow. Zinnias are a  perfect “first flower garden” choice for the smallest of children.

I start zinnias a few weeks early in plastic dixie cups and grow them indoors. I also direct sow them in the garden. Surprisingly, the direct sown zinnias always catch up to the ones grown in the house. The one advantage to starting them indoors is the larger plants are less likely to be nipped off by bunnies and other hungry critters.

Now is the time to start looking for zinnias on seed racks in your local shops and garden stores. They can be purchased for under $1.00 in dollar stores and large retailers.

 

 

 

 

 

Pheathers – Birds of the Caribbean Part I

On By TimelessladyIn Pheathers4 Comments

I love birds, and was totally captivated by the birds of Jamaica. Now and again, you find yourself in a close encounter with an inquisitive bird. My family’s close encounter with a blue jay last year is a good example of this unexpected blessing.

Doctor Bird

Treasure Beach, on the southern coast of Jamaica, was the scene of my first interaction with a bird. In this case I met a  Red-Billed Streamer Tail, or as it is better known, the Doctor Bird.

Hummingbird Nest in Cactus

I was walking along the paths of the Treasure Beach Hotel and spotted a small bird nest in the spines of a cactus. I thought the nest, and another I had seen earlier, might be hummingbird nests, but on researching when I arrived home realized they were more likely the nests of one of the other small birds filling the air with birdsong.

Hummingbird Nest

The sight of the nest in the cactus filled me with such joy…an unexpected sight for someone who watches birds most often in southern New Jersey. I did what I often do when I am happy, I began to sing as I walked not caring if anyone heard me or not.

Suddenly, I had an audience. A hummingbird feeding on a flower nearby must have liked my song, he buzzed close by me, perched on a branch, and began giving me a thorough looking-over. I continued to sing, and as I sang, he seemed to listen. Lucky me that I can do two things at once. My camera, dangling on my wrist, didn’t scare him away, and I took several photos of him as I serenaded him with my chirpy hymn of praise. (In the Sweet By and By)

Dr. Bird in tree

Amazingly, I tired of singing before he tired of listening. As I walked away, I took one more photograph of him perched on his branch enjoying the view of the Caribbean sea.

Silhouette Dr. Bird