They're Ba-aaack!

Female Rufous Hummingbird, Patterson Canyon, NM, Sept. 2010

I saw a hummingbird yesterday, right on schedule -- they usually come back up here around the 2nd week of April, buzzing around looking for food after what must be a long journey for them (or anyone, really). He flitted around right outside the dining room glass doors, first inspecting the bobbling glass and copper hummingbird garden ornament, then hunting for open flowers, then hovering right in front of the door as if to bark at me, "So, where are the feeders already??" They're cleaned and ready to go, tiny sir, and I'll get the hummingbird bar open for business pronto. The hummer shown above is a female Rufous, and those little feisties don't come back till after the summer solstice; that gives our early arrivals (the Black-Chinned and Broad-Tailed hummers) time to nest and acclimate before the real feeder turf wars begin. We can't wait!