Hummers in the snow

Awwwww. That is all I can say, for a couple of reasons. Yesterday, I actually saw a hummingbird come to check the feeders. It was a rufous male, all glittering green on it’s back. I had no idea that any hummers stayed around for the winter around here, yet here they are. The little guy went away hungry, because the feeder was frozen solid.

So this morning I brought the feeders in, and filled them with fresh, warmed nectar. I’m putting them out one at a time, and when they start to freeze I switch them out. Until a few minutes ago I didn’t know if they were being used, or if the birdies had noticed.

It’s getting dark now, and I noticed the snow is really coming down again. I went to check the deck (my version of the great outdoors when the weather is like this), and there, perched on the woody salvia that they so loved in the summer (and is now cut almost all the way back), was the little female. If only there were light I’d take a picture of her, but she’s nearly impossible for me to see. I wonder if it was the same one I got a photo of last summer? Here is a little rufous female, feeding on the same woody salvia (Hot Lips) and she is perched on right now.

Clearly, they found the fresh food! So, awwwww. She kept twitched her wings a bit and looking round at me, but she didn’t fly away. I hope the little male joins her, and first thing in the morning I’ll be putting out some nice, slightly warm nectar.

I was actually checking to see how Ramona’s little birdhouse is doing in the snow. I plunked it into one of the wee snowbanks that are my planters, maybe a couple of hours ago now. I’ve been checking to see how fast the new snow is falling, and took a picture of it an hour ago.

My world when it snows is very different from G2's. She lives on a little farm and needs to tend to the animals. I live in an apartment and I have a deck. It's a nice deck with, of course, too much stuff on it. Especially since my friend gave me three giant pots of bamboo. I love em, but am still figuring out a redesign of the deck to accomodate everything. The only thing I need to go outside for is to take photos, and of course, tend the hummers.
Maybe the hummers might like the wee birdhouse? I don't know that they like to go inside things, but one never knows.
I've had fun today, trying different things with the camera. Here are a few of my snow day pictures...
This first I took around dawn today, hence the bluiness. See the little tube sticking out of the snow in the middle of the picture? That is the top of my rain gauge. It's got a top of snow piled on top of it, the tube itself isn't really that tall. The snow is really coming down out there tonight, so I figure that by tomorrow, there will be nothing but a tell tale bump to mark it, if even that.

I have a greenbelt around two sides of my place. I'm blessed to be on the third floor of my building, and on the end. The greenbelt is what made me take the place. It's a wetland, for the most part, so no real danger in it going away. That Virginia creeper on the tree trunk in the center...makes me homesick for the south. I really, really loved being there. You watch, G2 and I may disappear into the hollers one of these days...

Endless patters of snowy branches. I could take pictures of them forever.

The new profile picture is of the amaryllis currently blooming in my front room. Feel free to change it back, G2.