The Heart of a Lion

...beats within this tiny chest. This is P-Hummie, our alpha male hummingbird. His looks have faded since he arrived in the spring, all decked out in his breeding colors, but he is still a handsome fellow. He's now allowed at least two other males to "share" the yard, although he zealously guards one feeder, perching on this branch just above it and dive-bombing any who venture too near.

I wasn't going to blip another hummie today... but I just couldn't help myself. Just so you don't think I'm a total one-trick-pony, I did take shots of a few other things today and posted 7 shots starting HERE on FLickr. (And five of them aren't hummers!)

It's a goopy day, so a good day to stay close to home and continue packing and getting organized for the move.

The house wren chicks must have left the nest box yesterday. I heard mom doing her chattering call yesterday morning, which is usually the sign that she is encouraging them to leave the box. If I'd had time, I would have tried to stay outside and watch them fledge, but clearly, I missed it. It did give me cause, however, to reflect on the number of species of birds that raised babies on our property this summer - it's quite a list:
American crows
Blue jays
Cardinals (multiple pairs and broods)
Gray Catbirds (multiple pairs and broods)
House Finch (multiple broods)
Tufted Titmouse
Black capped chickadee
Downy Woodpecker (multiple pairs)
Hairy Woodpecker
Red-bellied woodpecker
House wren (two broods)
Ruby-throated hummingbirds (multiple nests)
Common Grackle
Chipping sparrow

And, the American goldfinches are just starting to breed, so I expect we'll have a nest or two of them as well. Yes, it was a good summer.

By coincidence, I posted one of my all-time favorite hummingbird photos on this day last year. Hm, maybe I AM a one-trick-pony...

Three more sleeps. Yay!

Debbi