I have a hummingbird nest precariosly balanced but sticking way out of an established ficus pemalia plant that has engulfed my column by my main entrance. I have several feeders and the hummers are always feeding. Recently I watched one buzz me and continuously return to her nest right there. We had a freak cold storm out of Alaska coming with freezing rain and strong winds. I know the nest is too exposed to survive it. I wanted to help protect it a little and I was able to install and umbrella in such a way as to protect the nest without ever having to touch it. Momma hummer was doing her due diligence to ward me off but I was done very quickly and still saw her. She did go back to the nest but when I checked on it later she wasnt there. I was very relieved to be buzzed by her the next morning but I havent seen her sit on the nest and now I havent seen her the rest of the day or evening. I am devestated that in trying to subtly protect the nest that i caused her to abandon it. Especially since she has dealt with my constant in and out of the front door the last two weeks. Will she be back? Did I cause her to leave? Input is greatly appreciated.

Hello over there! I have to say, that is so cool and wonderful that your grandson is so interesting in these amazing birds.. and how great it is that you want to encourage him!! ( I wish more American kids were interested in them!) Anyway... I also do not know of any courses.. but i think most people just learn from sharing knowledge on the internet. He will soon find out that there are many fanatics out here.. so he will probably have a ball talking to others who share his passion. His parents also might want to think about taking him on a trip to the Rockport Hummingbird Festival (in Texas-- I have never been to this)-- or other field trips, maybe even to Costa Rica. There's probably some local groups in Oklahoma who do field trips and share stories. Tell him, that all he has to do is look up 'hummingbird behavior, migration, breeds, feeding habits', etc etc on the 'net and he will find enough information to keep him busy for the rest of his life. ALSO.... on YouTube, he will probably enjoy videos of the hummers in Costa Rica, or other entries people have sent in of their own close-up films, in their backyard.. there's also lots of films of folks feeding by hand.. here's an article: http://www.longbraid.com/articlehummingbirds.html ..and there's even a video that he would probably LOVE to recieve: http://www.amazon.com/How-Hand-Feed-Hummingbirds-Michael-Baughman/dp/B0002LTEC2 and to go along with this, is the small and easy to use Perky Pet 3 oz feeder, that he could use to practice getting close to them, by holding it: http://www.shop.com/0-p45093850-k36-g1-~perky+pet+3+oz+hanging+basket+feeder-nover-s.shtml Also, please tell him to join in here, we would love to meet him and hear his experiences!

Excellent news! Neighbor called to say that bird had left the homemade "nest"- it was sitting on a coneflower. We watched it as we weren't sure if it was strong enough to fly. When I moved around to look at the "nest" - it was perched on a near-by shrub - the bird took off! We think we've spotted its true nest in a nearby sycamore tree. Maybe the bird stunned itself this a.m. by flying into sidelight of neighbor's door- the door is about 12-15 feet from where we originally found it.

I didn't just come across this article I actually googled "i'm sick of people telling me their dog is a rescue" and this article was the first to pop up! That being said, "i'm sick of people telling me their dog is a rescue"! Here's why... probably 75% of the time when I ask an owner "what kind of dog is that"? they answer "its a rescue". It drives me crazy because they know I have asked them what breed they have but they insist in on first letting me know that they are a wonderful person because they have rescued a dog. Wait.... the question wasn't did you get your dog from a breeder or did you get your dog elsewhere (naturally if it didn't come from the breeder you have rescued a dog from somewhere, hence making most dogs rescues). But the actual term "rescue dog" is very misleading so I always ask them to clarify with the following question.... "Wow, a rescue dog, that is incredible, you must be so proud of him/her... I just read about this rescue dog that pulled a little baby out of a burning building.... what exactly did your dog do?