Snowy Day Diversion: Amazing High Definition Videos of Hummingbirds

Here in my little home office in Tacoma, Washington, I'm trying to get some writing done, but the view out the window makes me feel as excited as a six-year-old. SNOW! One moment it's falling straight and the next it's like a blizzard, blowing horizontally. And it couldn't contrast more with what I'm about to share with you.

I am reminded of the day in January 2009, now three years ago, when I wrote a blog post called Hummingbirds at Home Through a Northwest Winter. I won't repeat it here, but I do have a delightful surprise to offer on this most wintry day.

 I just discovered a whole channel of high definition videos of hummingbirds. You can reach it through this link. (If the screen appears black, just scroll down.)

Close your eyes for a moment as you click on this example. If you, too, are living where it is snowing today, you are about to experience summer again.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Eating From My Hand (Part One) from Russ Thompson on Vimeo.

And here is another video about Rufus hummingbirds from the Northwest ending up in Ohio during the winter. If your feeders are still out, like mine, please remember to keep them thawed. You can read some great suggestions in the comments on my original blog post, here. Many thanks to all the readers who shared their ideas on feeding hummingbirds during these cold months.

Keep cozy, and thanks for visiting Good Life Northwest.


Winter Hummingbird from Wildlife Matters on Vimeo.

You Might Want to Tweet About This Contest

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him bending over the bath. I'd never seen anything so big. . .

Northern Saw-whet Owl chicks by Nick Saunders, a finalist in the spring 2011 photo contest

. . . among all the birds that have visited my Tacoma backyard. (You thought I meant, WHAT?!)  But  as I stood at the kitchen sink, looking out the window, there on the edge of the birdbath stood a feathered guest about 20" long, so big that out of the corner of my eye I could have mistaken it for a cat. At first, I didn't recognize this new visitor as a Peregrine Falcon, since he had his back facing me, bent over with his light underside exposed. I grabbed my bird book, and as he moved about I confirmed the identity.

The task of identifying him would prove easier than convincing people that I really did make this rare sighting. If only I'd had my camera. In addition to obtaining photographic evidence, I might have won the WeLoveBirds.org Winter 2011 Photo Contest. I still could, if he returns, and so could you if such a lucky photo op comes your way.

Birding enthusiasts love WeLoveBirds.org, an online community created through the combined efforts of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Even if you have no intention of entering the contest, make your day a bit brighter by visiting the site for a look at some of the 42,000 photos already submitted by members.  From among the ten best, all of whom will be eligible for prizes, some lucky photographer will win a pair of Endeavor 8.5 x 45 binoculars by Vanguard. 

Yesterday I saw a Steller's Jay with a peanut in his beak, deliberately push it down into the dirt to bury it. Then he looked around, picked up a leaf, and put the leaf right over the spot where the peanut was hidden. I'm not making this stuff up. Really. (sigh)

Just wait. I have my camera handy now, ready for anything, no matter how big, in the fascinating world of nature right in my own backyard.



Happy Summer! Join me in the garden.

If you are reading this from somewhere other than Western Washington, let me tell you the big news; we're all in shock today. It's really summer, with the weather to prove it, after weeks of unseasonably cool, cloudy and often damp days. Like we always say, "When it's nice here, there is no place nicer."

Outside my open upstairs window here in Tacoma, I see nothing but blue sky framed by a fringe of green leaves that tremble in the breeze. I'm restless. All those delicious summer days of childhood come to mind. (Read "Dandelion Summers")



A friend e-mailed this morning and told me I should do something nice for myself today, to celebrate the arrival of summer. So I did. I took a break from my writing jobs, closed the lid on my laptop, and went outside to wander through the garden. Want to come along?

In the front yard, my senses thrill to the sweet scent of sun warmed California lilac, now covered with buzzing honey bees that bear cargoes of yellow pollen. I welcome the golden sun, and its warmth, as I welcome the gold finches that come to my feeder in the mornings now. Roses climb the trellis. All is right with the world. Enjoy.