I wanted to write something light and airy...literally. Today's musings have to do with Hummingbirds.
Three weeks ago I put a Hummingbird feeder on our front window. It has two suction cups that are sturdy and sure. I got the thing some years ago at the Big W (Walmart) and finally put it up. Actually two years ago, I hung it late in the season but nobody found it. Not so this year.

Hummingbirds have been flocking to sip the red sugar water. I make the stuff out of a cup of sugar, water enough for the container, and a few drops of red food coloring. It's pasteurized on the stovetop, cooled, and placed in the feeder. What is so amazing to me is how fast these critters can fly, and how brave they are. Yesterday while working just feet away from the feeder, two of them approached and drank from the feeder. They were not, in the least, afraid of me. I suspect that they have very few natural enemies because of the warp speed in which they fly. Behind the buzz of their wings, I heard them gently emitting chirps between slurps of nectar. While one of them drank, the other hovered 8 or 10 feet away then they would switch positions. They took turns doing this perhaps 10 or more times. Eventually, they shot away into the forest. Whether I'm inside the house watching, or outside next to these creatures, they amaze me.

Update 10/04/08: It's been some weeks since I saw a hummingbird drink from the feeder, and I took it down today. I'm looking forward to putting it back up next year.