The humming birds know Winter is coming

[Maineboy]

We have them here in the north country from about May to September. The last time I saw one was about 3 days ago.

[Winger Ed.]

We have them here in the north country from about May to September. The last time I saw one was about 3 days ago.

They might be on their way South and coming by here to tank up for the rest of their trip.

[.429&H110]

One twilight the wife was sitting under a big fruitbat that was hovering drinking on a feeder.
That big bat was impressive with a long tongue, flapping frantically trying to hover.
No more hummingbird feeder.

The hummingbirds found my drip irrigation.
I have drippers in raised beds and flower pots, runs for half an hour at 6AM & 6PM.
Hummers sit in a polite circle taking turns at the little bubblers.
Trouble is, I am watering packrats, lizards, and snakes, too.
I saw a roadrunner drinking on one once.
It's a desert and everybody's thirsty.

[MaryB]

Neighbor has 4 feeders on her deck. Sit out and have a soda with her and they will land on the edge of the glass and try to get a drink... little pests! Sit on your hand if you put a drop of soda on your palm...

Geese are flocking up, some locals have headed south, northern flights are starting to trickle over... cold approaching fast!

[atfsux]

One twilight the wife was sitting under a big fruitbat that was hovering drinking on a feeder.
That big bat was impressive with a long tongue, flapping frantically trying to hover.
No more hummingbird feeder.

Funny you should mention that. A friend of mine in Bisbee discovered his hummingbird feeder was suddenly turning up completely drained every morning, despite being refilled in the early evenings. He thought there must be some species of nocturnal hummingbird. But nope. As he sat out on his porch one night while grilling some steaks, he had some large nectar-feeding bat come flapping around like a giant furry leathery hummingbird, sucking down all the sugar water he could slurp.

[popper]

Haven't seen ours for a few days and a flight of honkers went over this morning. 110 to 80 in a couple days. Gonna be hard, trees out of stress from the heat and then time to take a nap. Wonder how much survives next year? Already lost (I think) the new dogwood planted last fall.

[JSnover]

Haven't seen ours this week, so I guess they left. The young squirrels have also moved out of the neighbor's birdhouse.

[.429&H110]

Arizona desert has an amazing variety of critters and they are all thirsty.
There are now a family of pumas in the Santa Ritas that took over from Border Patrol.
Don't bring a dog to Madeira Canyon, you call in the cats.
What we are seeing is nobody hunts anymore, and we are providing food and water.

I live in a tight suburb, walls and washes, thick cholla and creosote bush gone wild.
We have hummingbirds that are native and others migrating through.
Sheriff says I cannot shoot coyotes within a quartermile of a house
so we have packs of coyotes following the dogwalkers (me).
The Sheriff seems to be siding with the coyotes and rats. So is Fin and Fur.
I think a suppressed rifle after 10PM would be a great sport, but no.

These geezers feed and water the 'yotes, in backyards inside their walls.
A coyote can hop a six foot wall like it wasn't there.
Old folk entertainment, good fun until somebody gets hurt.
They put out cracked corn for the quail, fatten up the rats.
(Air rifle on rats is illegal, great fun)
Owls hawks and falcons eat the quail doves rats and small dogs.
Neighbors love bats on the feeders, take pictures of everything,
a parade of bobcats, javalinas, desert hares bigger than my dog.
A dozen kinds of reptiles, fearless desert iguanas, coontails...
(Chico can smell a coontail, alerts, points his departing butt at it. Found three so far).
(He pointed out a big one deep in some oleanders down the street,
had to return the next day to see if it was still there, it was, he was disappointed
because he likes to watch me kill them. Sorry, Chico, that's not our snake.)

Every once in a while a puma wanders down the big wash.
That's a spring thing, they're looking for javalina piglets.
Next thing will likely be black bears coming to the cracked corn.

In a retirement village, the streets are deserted after dark, quiet as a grave.
This was a hot summer, the snowbirds aren't back yet, half the houses empty.
The coyotes settle in on the lawn furniture for fine dog beds.
The irrigation leaks twice a day, makes a nice puddle, breakfast next door.
Amazing to watch a javalina eat a prickly pear, munch munch on the stickers.
If you google search "javalina attack" it comes up Green Valley AZ.
I was fine until the wife brought home an old toothless chihuahua.
Now I am hunting with live bait.