Treasured Guest at the Hummingbird Comfort Station

"True hospitality should have no other nature than love." - Henrietta Mears.

Late September is when our ruby-throated hummingbirds usually pack up and head south to begin their long migration to Mexico and Central America. We had seen hummingbirds in our yard last weekend, maybe one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

We were at home for the day, doing all kinds of useful stuff, getting projects done before the big Penn State Homecoming game would be on TV. It had been raining much of the day, off and on. But in the afternoon, it dried up some. My husband, looking out the front window with his binoculars, was shouting! There were hummingbirds in the yard!

I looked out quickly and saw two tiny green birds chasing each other, down by the Mexican sunflower patch. We had just eaten our dinner, and I was washing dishes. When he hollered, I showed up with soap all over my hands. There's no time even to grab a tea towel when there are hummingbirds to see!

So I finished up with the dishes, and then I joined my husband outside. He had set up our chairs and tables close enough to the Mexican sunflower patch that we could watch any action. Then he brought the feeder over and hung it right in front of the flowers. One of the birds came back, headed straight for the feeder, and ate for several long minutes.

The bird was quite hefty, which maybe isn't quite so easy to tell unless you're used to watching hummingbirds. Perhaps you had already noted that it tilted the feeder, it was that heavy. They really fatten themselves up when they're getting ready for migration. This one apparently had some success in that endeavor!

In the midst of the hummingbird frenzy, my husband announced that THIS patch of Mexican sunflowers is LEE's GARDEN, in his honor. My dad had such a lot of fun when I gave him some Mexican sunflower seeds one year, and he ended up with a whole garden full of orange blooms! So here is a hummingbird, in Lee's garden, paying us a visit.

I stayed a while, and then when nothing seemed to be happening, I went back inside to read my book. I picked up Nala's World, by Dean Nicholson, at the library a week or so ago, and I'm really enjoying it. 

It's the tale of a Scottish gent who bicycles around the world, and rescues a kitten he names Nala, who travels with him. I am a fast reader, but I am trying to read this one more slowly, to enjoy their journey and spend more time with them.

When my husband came back inside, he reported that as soon as I had gone in, the hummingbird had come back and stayed a while. He said it even seemed as though it napped on one of the big orange blooms up top, while he sang a little love song to it. 

Poor little thing. It is not one of our regulars, but a treasured guest, a weary traveler seeking (and finding!) comfort from the endless storms that have been battering the eastern U.S. It is our absolute PLEASURE to provide a little taste of home as you complete your long journey. Fly safe! Fly strong! Bon voyage!

I need a song for this image and story, and the word treasure reminded me of Dolly Parton's album Treasures. It is Dolly's 34th album, and it contains all covers, with tunes by Merle Haggard, Neil Young, Kris Kristofferson, Cat Stevens, and Mac Davis. I couldn't settle for just one song, so here are two: Peace Train (with Ladysmith Black Mambazo), and Just When I Needed You Most.


P.S. Please consider this a commercial for Mexican sunflowers, which is to say Tithonia. They are wonderful additions to your yard, and they grow tall with bright orange, happy blooms. (Here's a little-known fact: the stems are wonderfully fuzzy and soft to the touch.) And best of all, they provide late-season sustenance for all of the pollinators who pass through your yard! GET SOME!

P.P.S. Ha! This is EXACTLY why I recommend that you leave your feeders up for a week or two after "your" hummingbirds leave. I was reminded of the phrase, "entertaining angels unaware." Yep! *nod-nod*