Welcome Home, Little Lady!

Our hummingbirds came back on April 25. It was first thing in the morning, and we opened up the deck door curtains around 7 a.m. My husband announced the arrival of our first bird seconds later. And another bird - a tiny male - showed up about twenty minutes later. In the evening, the first lady arrived around 7:45 p.m. So I think now that all of our birds are home!

The area by the deck doors used to belong to our tabbycat Dexter. We always had boxes with blankets there for him, as he loved to lie and nap there, and watch the action on the deck. Birds, squirrels, you name it. But now that we are catless, for all practical purposes, I've put a chair there, and I sit on it sometimes and watch for hummingbirds. It's very soothing, actually.

This is a photo I snagged on this day of our resident female hummingbird. I usually call the latest one "Lady G," or "Lady Greensleeves." I just like the name. The males have a dark patch on their throat that shines bright red in a certain slant of light, earning them the name ruby throat hummingbirds. The females of the species have white throats. So that's how you can tell this is a beautiful girl. She also has a white spot at the corner of each eye.

We also had another fun bird encounter on this day. My husband had arranged a car appointment for inspection with our local mechanic, and he dropped me off at Soaring Eagle Wetlands for a little look-see. A helicopter was flying around overhead, making all kinds of noise, apparently doing some trimming on the trees.

Along the creek I walked, and I found yellow trout lilies galore. I had not seen any in a while and I coveted them, yes, I did, but I photographed them and left them alone. Soon, I saw a spotty, interesting looking bird, out on a rock on the water.

I was not sure what kind of bird it was, so I used my camera for my natural history investigations, as I often do! I snapped all kinds of shots, intending to look it up later when I got home. (It turns out it is a variety of sandpiper. Which one, I cannot tell you for sure.)

The bird stood on the rock, and went to balancing on one foot, showing off, as they do. It had marvelous GREEN legs, which I thought were amazing. But its spots were the story of the day. Wow. And white circles around the eyes.

I walked further down the creek and waited for my husband to come and join me there. And as I looked, I saw the bird again, right in front of me. I hid behind a tree and snagged some more shots as it fished along the shore.

And then a SECOND bird of the same type showed up. Or was it . . . the original bird I'd already seen? Hmm. I don't know for sure. But suddenly, there were TWO birds in front of me. I sneaked around, hoping for a picture of them making friends. It's springtime, and time for hot romance, right?

But the bird I was watching instantly chased away the other bird! Oh well, so much for spring romance and the survival of the species! Or maybe they were two birds of the same gender, fighting over scarce resources and territory. I'll never know. Anyway, a picture of that wonderful bird appears in the extras. (**See update below.)

Now, let's pick our songs, shall we? My song for this sweet little lady hummingbird is Simon and Garfunkel, with Homeward Bound. Welcome home, my dear! And my song for the sandpiper in the extras (hello, spotty friend!) is the Sandpipers, with Guantanamera, their biggest hit, from 1966.

Bonus Story: I have just one more thing to share and that is a story that is not my own. It was told to my husband by our mechanic. The mechanic had a friend who was a drunk. This man liked to drink and drive, and one night, he finally did it: he put his vehicle in the drink. Drove it right off a bridge and into the Susquehanna River, where it flipped upside down and began to sink! The man was unconscious in the vehicle, but he came to, feeling the light of a flashlight on his face, waking him up. Someone was on the bridge, shining a light on him! He woke up, struggled to free himself, and swam to the surface. He walked out of the water and up onto the bridge. NOBODY WAS THERE. There was no person standing on the bridge. There was no flashlight. The man gave up drinking and turned his life around.

**This just in! An update on the sandpiper. A birding expert friend has identified this as a solitary sandpiper. I guess that explains why it chased off that other bird! *says in best Greta Garbo voice* "I want to be alone!!!!" Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!