Coffee Clutch with Dutch Henry: hummingbird

Showing posts with label hummingbird. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Roosters crowed in the dark.

Roosters crowed in the dark. Tigger blinked a protest at the sudden brightness of the light being turned on. A distant a train whistle floated in the air. Saturday could hardly keep his eyes open. The first of the Guinea chickens to wake flew from the chicken house. Ravishin, Robbie said when we turn the clocks back to Eastern Standard Time it'll be light again at 6:30, but for now, most mornings Kessy and the Coffee Clutch gang isn't meeting until after 7:00. And it's still dark then!

Guinea chickens in the chicken house could be a sign of bad, or cold, weather coming. They like to roost in trees most of the time, but will gather with the Banties when it's cold, snowy and sometimes in bad rain storms. I noticed last evening they were going in and thought about the past few cold mornings, but the weather forecast is for the 70s to return for the next week. I chuckled when I thought they must have not heard that. Sure enough all 5 Guineas slept in last night.

We haven't seen a Hummingbird in a few days either. We do keep a few feeders up until well into November as we will often get a stray, late traveler stop in to refuel on its trip south. The latest Hummingbird since we've moved here to Appomattox was November 15. So if you're feeding hummers don't be in too big a hurry to take down your feeders. It is about a week early, though, for them to be gone. Another sign?

I wonder how soon the Juncos will arrive. The little slate gray birds who nest much farther north but winter in the northern US. You might know them as snowbirds. I heard on the news yesterday that at least one Almanac was predicting a lot of snow and bad weather for the Mid-Atlantic States. So if they heard that too, well, they could show up any day.

The Phoebies flitted about in twos and threes, snapping their beaks and calling, "Phoebeee … Phoebeeee." Are they gathering to head south?

Kessy, Saturday and the chickens fed, I settled into to my chair, poured a cup of coffee from the thermos and thanked God for a beautiful morning. I do that every morning, no matter the weather. With a sweet wife, great daughter and son-in-law, darling grandbabies, friends like you who join us here, distant train whistles, roosters crowing, birds singing , great pets and horse who loves our coffee clutch, every morning IS indeed a beautiful morning.

As Kessy tugged and munched her hay, I noticed she had a respectable start on a thick winter coat. Are we in for a lot of "snowy" beautiful mornings this winter? Oh my.

Have a beautiful day! ~ Dutch

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

How Much Does a Monarch Weigh?

How much does a Monarch butterfly weigh? As we rode the mid-morning sun on our backs, our shadow detailing Kessy's every beautiful stride, I couldn't help but ponder that question.

We'd been going along alone, no birds or butterflies when we rode into a thick yellow patch of Goldenrod literally swarming with hummingbirds and butterflies. Far too many to count. I lost count at a dozen Monarchs, and simply sat Kessy to take in the show.

I did manage to count five hummingbirds buzzing about the tiny yellow blooms. Never knew hummers like Goldenrod.

We sat in the sun, amid knee high Goldenrod, listening to the buzzing of the hummingbirds. One swooped so near Kessy's knee she bowed her neck to look at it! I suppose they were trying to steal the show from the majestic Monarchs. It was then that noticed a lone Monarch on the outer edge of the Goldenrod patch drifting from bloom to bloom as if tasting appetizers in order to find the most preferable dish for his mid-morning meal. One tall single spike of brilliant yellow seemed to be to his liking and, as gently as a snowflake, he drifted down upon the tip of the flower ... It bowed beneath the Monarch's weight!

Walking around the flower, spreading its beautiful orange and black wings for balance, the Monarch checked each tiny flower in the tall bloom for nectar. The flower bobbed and swayed with each move the Monarch made! I glanced at the hummers, few of them ever bothered to light on a flower as they do the feeders on the porch, but one did finally settle atop a golden yellow spike, and for sure it sagged, straining under the weight of the massive hummer who thrust his beak high declaring this bloom's for me! … But a flower bending Monarch had come as a surprise to me.

I asked Kessy if she'd ever noticed that before. She had nothing to say. But I wonder now, how much does a Monarch butterfly weigh?

Have a great Wednesday, and Gitty Up! ~ Dutch

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Welcome to the Coffee Clutch

Welcome to the Coffee Clutch, a happy place to visit. I write uplifting stories about a wide variety of subjects from horses to birds and nature, to love and family and friends. Sometimes I'll post excerpts from stories I've written for Equine Publications. Sometimes I'll post about writing itself. Coffee Clutch got its name because I often write while enjoying my morning coffee in the barn with my mare Kessy, and all our critters. Join us here for fun conversation and stories I promise will make you feel good.

It's For The Horses

This is not a book about riding, or training horses. It is a book on my thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how folks might find the joy in doing things for the horse, with the horses’ point of view as the leading guide. My hope is to help as many people as possible learn to hear the horse, feel their spirit, and in that way help horses everywhere. Over the years I’ve met and worked with remarkable people and horses who taught me about their feelings, their joys, their sadness, and their spirit. As a horse advocate everything I do is from the horse’s perspective, including this little book. Every story, idea, suggestion and thought on these pages will be to suggest and share thoughts and ideas on how to maximize a relationship between horse and human—from the horse’s point of view.

Tom Named by Horse

The only man ever to offer Tom respect is Red Cloud. The only woman to give him love is Red Cloud’s granddaughter. Struggling with his own personal demons, Tom finds himself wedged between honoring that friendship and staying true to the depths of his conscience. Amid a backdrop of tumultuous social upheaval, he finds nothing prepared him, the woman he loves or Chief Red Cloud, for the changes about to thunder into their lives, sweeping them helplessly into the tides of human conflict and historical drama. Available on Amazon.

From The Banks OF Little Bear Creek

The Tom Named by Horse Saga continues. Three years after the death of Tall Dog, Tom Named By Horse and Soft Cloud have turned the little soddy, the lands granted them by Red Cloud, and the lean-to barn into a thriving horse ranch, fulfilling Tom’s dream. The Plains Indians Wars, or Red Cloud’s war, is mostly behind them, and the lands have had their transformation as Red Cloud’s vision had warned years earlier. Trailing horses from the ranch to Denver city has become an annual event for Tom, Buck and the rest, and this is the story of that trail. In the spirit of a good old John Wayne movie, vengeance, cattle and horse thieves, a dirty sheriff and corrupt mayor, and a wedding make this year’s drive a ride you’ll want to tag along on.