Awww, that is lovely to hear...Juliet! I so wish I could attract more bees and butterflies, with my organics starter garden...But hopefully all in good time as my garden strengthens and develops....

Your gangsta hummingbird is quite a character, lol! who could ever imagine a tiny hummingbird swaggering around with such an attitude! Hilarious!

Hmm, the water droplets sound wonderful too and am glad the bees are makin' a splash! LOL!

Juliet, You do know there is an Austin rose named Sweet Juliet?
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It's very fragrant and crown hardy for me in my zone 5. It does die back but comes back well.
I mentioned this as it would make a great Forum name.

Hummingbirds are feisty little characters. The other day when I was researching native California sages I came upon an article that said a hummingbird will fight to the death to keep other hummers from "his" stand of sages, which I gather may be a primary food supply. Fortunately, things don't seem quite as savage in a cultivated garden.

Ingrid

I think that is awesome you are making time for yourself to be outside more. It really changes and I think improves our perspectives to do so.

My husband sits on our front porch and reads in the evening when he has time. He says he often sees the kind of possessive behavior you noted with the hummingbirds. To that end we now have three feeders and they are spread around the yard to try and keep the quibbling to a minimum:) I've found if they can't see the other feeders it keeps relations among the hummers more peaceable.

Kate

What a wonderful time you had in the garden! I am still trying to attract more things here, as we live in town we don't get some of the cooler field birds.

I have observed ONE hummer guarding a feeder from many other hummers, even when he wasn't intersted himself in eating at the time. I would say the most aggressive bird I have seen, and in such a compact package!

At my home in Santa Fe, the Black Chinned hummingbirds arrived on May 1 and left Sept 30 (almost to the day, year after year) and the Rufus arrived a month later and left about two weks earlier. And in between the two fought all the time. I want to write a novel called "The Summer of the Hummingbird Wars." Unfortunately, I don't know what it's about yet.

I'm so happy you are "tuning in," Juliet.

Hi Juliet, It is such a nice feeling strolling around and seeing such cool things going on outside. The other morning I heard a bird going berzerk out on my front porch, which is where a mama bird made a nest in one of my wall pots with hosta in it, and she was chirping quite loudly and fast. So I went to make sure nothing was wrong because I knew they were real close to flying the coop. I just stood on the porch very still and quiet as I watch and listened to her coax her babies out of the nest. It was the coolest thing to witness. I wish I had the thought to video tape it. She would chirp so loud and fast until one or two would jump out and attempt to fly and then she would go out in the yard and coax them out into the shrubbery. After about 15 minutes she managed to get all five babies out into the world. Soooooo amazing!!! I worried all day about them as if they were my own little babies, hoping my beagles wouldn't come across them and hurt one. I know they are all out enjoying the garden now as I do everyday. Sorry for such a long story but I felt this was the perfect thread to share my story. Enjoy all your days outside, Judy

Thanks everyone, for the input and stories! I have enjoyed reading all the responses. This confirms that my hummingbird is just doing his job of protecting his claim on my garden. He has his little hiding place where he keeps on eye on things. He even took a sip from the garden hose while I was watering at one point. I kept the hose still so he could drink from it and dip his wings in the stream of water. I will try at some point to take a photo of him in the garden. :)

Juliet

We have 6 hummingbird feeders in our yard to hopefull stop the feeder bullies. I think they spend more time defending the feeders than actually feeding. In the late summer, it's like a war zone in our yard with multiple hummers zipping this way and that. Sometimes if you go outside and have a red or pink shirt on, they will come right up to you. One even almost landed in my drink, which has cranberry juice in it and was red.

If you have a hose on mist or a sprinkler, they will dive through it to get wet.

I just wanted to say that this is such! a delightful post to read and wish it were our top 5 threads and that this thread deserves 75 responses instead of that nasty other situation that refuses to die out! I wish we could all talk about roses instead and about the fun personalities of our fuzzy bumblebees and diving hummingbirds...I remember ZyperIris' beaver post and countless other joy-of-nature posts and Henry's birds....I wish Henry's thread would come back too....

And am keeping my fingers crossed Juliet that you can capture your hummingbird with the lens, Juliet! and Karl I love that beautiful rose pic...

Buford, I can just imagine those hummers creating rainbows of colors in your yard... It makes for a very pretty picture--rainbow hummers darting amongst the rainbows created by the sprinklers!

I gave the wrong thread implication. Just meant overall that I want the fun and good, happy posts to continue to live on, as well as the the wise and thoughtful! advice from the rose experts...Amen and peace!

When I was little we lived in southeastern Pennsylvania and had a "Mimosa" tree (actually {{gwi:306566}}) in the backyard. (The tree can be invasive, but this one wasn't and when it bloomed it smelled soooooo good!!)

When it bloomed, that was the only time I've ever regularly seen hummers. I've always managed to live where hummers were extremely rare sights.

My old camera was too slow to get good pics of birds when the were outside, but I did manage to take this one of a hummer right outside my dining room window:

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Cute! That's a female (probably ruby-throated hummingbird since that's usually the only one east of the Mississippi).

what a beautiful sweet bird! Buford! thank you, thank you! she looks so sweet and innocent... Isn't it hilarious that these tiny angel-faced birds can be so feisty and fierce with each other... And yes, I can see those hints of blue-green iridescence on its beautiful back that your camera did! capture! Thanks York rose for the identifier...Hopefully we'll have more and more piccies of these hummers.. I'll be so thrilled to see more hummer pics from you, Buford... I remember trying to chase after Mr. Bumblebee with my fancy camera and alas! kept missing the boat, so I am very impressed with your! camerawork....Now we are in the middle of nasty heat wave so my lovely Bumble of late I haven't been able to find...(tears) I hope he is o.k!

There was an italian poet (Trilussa) who wrote some verses that translated sound like:

"Happiness

A bee alights
on the golden knop of a rose
sucks in it and leaves...

All in all, happiness
is just a small thing"

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This is all news to me-----As I've said before I am never too old to learn----I had never heard that hummers were so feisty---It makes me chuckle because they are such tiny little things.

Buford---great picture---Hardly ever see a hummer so still--
Yesterday one was darting all over my garden --I first noticed it on a Lantana plant and then it checked all the roses.

Last year they loved the red Zinnias----Planted more this year but they haven't bloomed yet---

We have a Cardinal's nest near a window---they should be hatching any day-----can't wait for the show.

Love the birds and the bees--

Florence

"All in all, happiness
is just a small thing"

Just read a recent article saying that those who are healthiest are those that are happiest. And those that are happiest see beauty, order and rightness in small things and in everyday moments.

Veronica

PS I don't even read "those" threads. As soon as I know what they are about, I don't even go there again.

This BIG white rose is right outside my dining room window. Every year we get nest of cardinals and the red bird in the white rose is very beautiful. We can watch her from the window without disturbing her. The father does all the work!{{gwi:306581}}

Where the bee sucks, there suck I:
In a cowslip's bell I lie;
There I couch when owls do cry.
On the bat's back I do fly
After summer merrily.
Merrily, merrily shall I live now
Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.

- William Shakespeare, The Tempest

awww, beautiful to reread Shakespeare, York-rose! I miss seeing all the complex nuanced rhymes of Shakespeare! I used to love poetry, the real stuff! it brings back lovely memories and especially of Gerard Manley Hopkins too!

There's Pied Beauty of course,

"GLORY be to God for dappled thingsÂ
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches wings;
Landscape plotted and piecedÂfold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.

The fickle, freckled adazzle reminds me of our little feisty Hummers, and plenty here that I always think of in all you longtime rosie gardeners....

And then here's one of the more symbolic poems in which Hopkins refers to the changing of the skies and the beauty that we "consume" when we enjoy the beauty that is both! evanescent (fleeting) and eternal...

THE DAPPLED die-away
Cheek and wimpled lip,
The gold-wisp, the airy-grey
Eye, all in fellowshipÂ
This, all this beauty blooming,
This, all this freshness fuming,
Give God while worth consuming.

Susan4952, your white climber rose is gorgeous! I notice you're in zone 5...So how do you keep it for the winter... P.S. I searched and searched for the nest, hee-hee! the clever little cardinals kept it hidden from me too! How I hope and hope my climbers will someday be blessed with a cardinal...maybe after 4 years I may be lucky... I've never seen a cardinal in my neighborhood...hopefully someday... I may have to plant more berry bushes when I have the chance...maybe then they will come...

Scardan 123 I love that bee pic... Can you make for me a bumblebee photo?

Serenasyh, one can only see the nest from the window and I cannot photograph through glass, but they are there. The male is bright red and collects all the food while the brown mother sits on the nest. That rose was here when I moved in 25 years ago...I have no idea what it is and I do not fuss over it. When it is in bloom if I open the window the main level of my house smells like roses.
"poems are made by fools like me...."

Well, it is a beauty and! I love it! a fragrant climber! if only computers could translate scent! And yes, that is the point...hee-hee, the clever cardinals want! to hide their nest away from the predators...and why I didn't expect to be able to see the nest (even though I did try, LOL!) They are such good little Mamas and Papas, a nest carefully hidden away and! protected by the rose thorns away from climbing cats, raccoons etc.

and...hidden from my 3 soft coated wheaten terriers...lol!
Isn't this a nice post? Different!

Humming birds catch insects to feed to their young so do what you can to entice them to your garden.

Yes, It's a ruby throated, the only kind we get here, although once in awhile I read in the news that a different kind is spotted.

I've actually held hummers in my hand. Here's what happened. We sometimes leave our deck door open because my cat likes to go in and out and hasn't figured out the pet door:( well one year, we foolishly had one of those feeders that sticks to the window too close to the door and a hummer flew in the house. Unfortunately they immediately went into the 2 story family room and tried to get out of the window on the upper story (whih doesn't even open. The poor thing exhausted itself banging against the window. We frantically got the 8 foot ladder and I was able to get the bird in a dish towel. It was still in my hand and I thought it was dead! It was light as a feather and looked like a little jewel encrusted statue, not a bird. But then all of a sudden it jerked awake and started flying around the house again! I guess it was just dazed. Eventually it went outside. This happened a 2nd time and I knew enough to keep it covered and bring it outside and hold it until it woke up and then flew away.

We don't have that feeder there anymore :) but a few weeks ago, a cardinal flew into the house and just sat on the counter and looked at me and then flew out.

I spend all of my free time in the garden observing and planning. I can watch the hummingbirds all day. My bed of salvia and honeysuckle is also dominated by ruling bird. Occasionally I get a picture of her.

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With a little bit of patience, you can 'train' a hummer to sit on your finger while feeding. I learned that years ago, and still do it today.

We have a smallish tree with fairly large leaves (Carolina Silverbell) in our back yard, near the patio. In the summer, we give it a good spray to soak down the leaves and within moments many hummingbirds will come to take an evening bath in the water collected on the foliage. It's one of the ONLY times they'll stop bickering with each other! (Those darned 'Hummingbird Wars'.)

One more story. As you know, hummingbirds are probably the first bird to wake up, punch in, and begin their work day. I used to live in an apartment with a french door that opened to a small patio and back yard. There was no screen on the door, but I would open it in the early mornings just to hear the sounds and smell the fragrances before dawn.

A noisy little female hummingbird started peeking in the door every morning. At first, she was very shy but within a few days began venturing inside the apartment....a little further each day. Squeaking loudly the entire time, by the way. My little dog and I would sit quietly while she literally made the rounds of my living room (which was still dark), always examining the fish tank and most of the reflective surfaces.

If I was late to get up, she would be at the door waiting for me, squeaking her head off.

You guys are all lucky to have the hummingbirds...I havn't seen one in the better part of a decade. They are not a real common bird in Ohio....for me at least.

What I don't have in hummingbirds, I have plenty in bumblebees, sparrows, and cardinals. With the cardinal being the state bird and living near downtown Columbus, it is no real surprise. I see a couple cardinals every day. I never see them nesting like the sparrows do every week, but they are always outside my window perched on the fence or hopping amongst the roses. I live on a small 1/2 acre of land(including the house), so as you can imagine I have very little in terms of yard and rose space, but I have numerous bumblebees. I would say I have about a dozen dedicated bumblebees amongst my roses and when my rhododendron is in bloom they love it. I almost have too many as they can get in the house and take me by surprise and buzz right past my head. It always provides a good laugh though.

Jeff, if u see 2 cardinals they are probably nesting. They appear to be monogamous during the perinatal period. Their nests are rather fragile looking and at first just look like clump of twigs caught in the branches. Had it not been for the bright red male in my rose bush I probably would not have noticed the nest. It is the Indiana state bird, also. So pretty!

I made clippings of yours and Buford's hummingbirds... I am sooo impressed, Harry! what an amazing wonderful brilliant photo! a complete jewel of a bird...a beautiful feast for the eyes....I asked Scardan if she could get a rose and bumblebee for me...I would love to clip out a fat bumblebee closeup with a rose...So far I've got 2 hummingbirds, a brilliant baby ladybug pic, and now for the bumblebee...? bumblebees anyone?

Buford and Rhizo1 those are such wonderful stories of the tiny hummingbirds adventurers who fly right into our homes and can actually perch on our fingers...I am so amazed...
I call them little Bravehearts! Jeffcat, I wish I had bumblebees visiting my home too, LOL! even that! would be heaven for me...

I love, love, love all the hummingbird photos and stories. Thanks a bunch for contributing to this thread.

I took an evening photo of my hummer friend. Here he is getting one last sip before nightfall. This little guy is in my garden at 6am and stays until 8pm. Talk about a long workday!

Juliet

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Susan I see quite a few coupled cardinals all the time. I've just never seen their nests. I've seen 3 sets of coupled cardinals on the power lines, trees, and fences. I usually hear a lot of other males outside doing their bird call which is a nice sound in the morning. The feisty little sparrows are what I consider my allied fighters as they seem to love eating the grubs in the ground...they feast on them like no other along with the insects. I don't know if they eat the Japanese beetles, but they sure seem to love the grubs.

I would take some pics of all my bumblebees, but I have no camera. I think that might be an Xmas consideration. I really don't see too many normal bees though, just the big chubby guys. They sound like mini lawnmowers when they buzz around.

Caught a photo of my best garden friend during the daytime. :)

Juliet

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Cardinals and Blue Jays are also territorial. We have three bird feeders--one belongs to the Cardinals and the other to a Blue Jay. The black birds only get to feed at the third feeder when the Cardinals and Blue Jay are around.

awwww, that is so cute, Juliet...your hummingbird looks gigantic! he must be really rolly-polly from all the "goodies" in your garden! Lovely piccie! Man, I've got a collection of hummie yummy clippings now...All I have to do is wait for Jeffcat to get his camera to get a FAT Bumblebee... The fatter and fuzzier the better...That's why I love bumblebees the most out of the insect pollinators...They look like a winged version of fuzzy-wuzzy mini-teddies in my opinion, hahahaha!