"A morning Coffee Clutch Stroll"

Howdy Folks,

 

The past few mornings have been quite humid, hot and still, so the fan in the barn had whirred along, doing its best to move the heavy air. While Kessy's fan is great for that, its steady whir tends to drown out the bird song, and since this morning's air was bit lighter I switched it off. On my way to the barn I'd heard a Mockingbird singing variations of at least half a dozen song-bird-solos and wanted to listen to his entire show. So the fan needed a break.

As I puttered around doing my morning's this-and-thats, tending to the chickens, Saturday and Kessy the Mockingbird's soliloquy floated deftly on the air accompanying me. Others joined in too. For the first morning in a while I heard a Scarlet Tanager, he was some distance in the woods, but his notes filled the tree tops. Mr Wren darted here and there chirping his delightfully busy chatter, and several Phoebes called their names as if to make certain they were recognized as part of the ensemble. A special treat was Mr. Bluebird's solo from somewhere high in the big Oak.

Kessy, Saturday, Miss Kitty, Tigger and me

 Settled in my chair next to Kessy it was delightful to take in all the birdsong, and Kessy's slow, sleepy, hay munching. Other birds joined in as Saturday, Tigger and Miss Kitty reclined with me. The squeaking of Chipping Sparrows, trilling of a Robin and even the call of a passing Crow filled out the bill. Then as if by request, the air rumbled gently with the low vibrations of a distant train. And then the whistle blew.

I tipped my hat to the Creator, gave thanks for the splendor of it all, and decided to stroll about before heading in for my morning ration of boiled oatmeal. Ravishin' Robbie had spent last afternoon and evening touching up her gardens and everything looks lovely. First stop the wild looking patch next to Kessy's bedroom just bursting with color from Brown Eyed Susans, Lilies and Daisies. A brief pause at the back porch steps to say good morning to Mrs. Phoebe who settled on our porch light as the most perfect spot for her second nest of the summer. Any day now tiny peeps will be peering over the nest edge.

Saturday, Miss Kitty and Tigger trailed along single file as I moseyed to our campfire area where Robbie has 2 tranquil shade gardens. I must admit to not knowing all the plant varieties there, but the border of Coleus is brilliantly red and orange.

Off we trekked to the front of the house where Robbie's vegetable garden fence is sporting the greenery and brilliant reds of Cardinal Climber. If you've never planted this delightful climbing plant, do yourself, and your Hummingbirds a favor, and plant some, the flowers are tiny cups of velvet red. The interior of the vegetable garden is looking great too, but I'm a flower kind of guy, and since this year Robbie decided to forgo the Marigold boarders, well it's boring to me.

Robbie's Herb Garden

Her Kitchen herb bed is jam-packed with all sorts of hearty, happy herbs, many of them blooming now too. Hummingbirds and butterflies love this garden and so many were there it looked like a convention! The Clary Sage has a  lovely light blue flower and the Yellow Swallowtails were loving it. I checked the Blue Bird nest there and it looks like they are starting their next nest, too!

Robbie's Flower Jungle

I lead our little troupe to the big flower jungle next. This is a big bed where 7 summers ago we had planted full of Zinnias and Cosmos. It was our first flower bed when we moved here. Each summer plants reseed themselves in it, and it's been expanding annually. The flowers are so thick it never requires weeding! This morning the Larkspur was in charge creating a dense bouquet of sky blue. The Cosmos are just beginning to open, and the Zinnias too, adding just the right touch of red, yellow and orange.

Thanks for joining the Coffee Clutch family on our morning tour. Hope you had fun!

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

"Rainy Day Hummingbirds"

Howdy Folks,

I heard on the radio this is the second coldest Spring on record. Don't know if that's true or not, but I must admit I'm enjoying the cooler weather. Keeps the wildflowers blooming longer and the Dogwoods too, are still in bloom. Wild Azaleas are gracing the trails' and woods' edge with their delicate pale pink flowers, the Bluetts and Spring Beauty's are just as lush as I've ever seen. Buds are pushing hard on the Mountain Laurel and wild Blueberries, wouldn't it be something if the early wildflowers were still blooming when the Mountain Laurel open their sprays of white flowers?

Here in Appomattox it's also been a pretty wet spring. Yesterday it was both cold and wet! By noon it was working hard to get over 50 degrees, and raining steadily. Ravishin' Robbie was busy working, in our back porch that we'd converted into our Library, which by the way was supposed to be my writing room, but she took it over as her office. She loves the windows and really has the room set up really neat. I huddled in the living room, a blanket covering my legs. Damp and cold works on me a bit. We both have great views of trees, woods, porches and bird feeders. Rainy days just add a bit of coziness to the day. We were both all snuggled in.

On our front porch we have 4 very popular Hummingbird feeders out of the rain. Robbie also has a string of lights all around the perimeter of the porch. I was enjoying watching the Hummingbirds dart in and out and all around doing their thing at the feeders. Just about every time I looked out there were a few at the feeders … but the cutest thing was, they were also lined up on the light string waiting their turns, out of the rain! One time I counted four Hummers sitting on the light strings!

I began checking the feeder on the back porch, and sure enough there sat one on the feeder and another on the rafter, out of the rain almost every time I looked! That made me wonder about the feeder in Kessy's stall, so I bundled up to go have a look. Of course me walking in there disturbed them, but the chickens who were all snuggled in the barn, greeted me with a few cackles and clucks. Mrs. Phoebe sat on her nest, but the feeder Hummingbird feeder had no Hummers, so I took Kessy's saddle blanket, settled into my chair and covered my legs to have a wait and see who would stop by.

It only took a few moments for the soggy Hummers to return to the shelter of the barn. Soon three Hummers sat either on the feeder or the rafter waiting their turn at the feeder. Kessy, Saturday and I watched the fun at the feeders a while, then I moseyed back to the warm house. Rainy day Hummingbirds are a treat to watch!

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

"Happy Monday"

Howdy Folks,

Last evening the Whippoorwills sang all around our house. Call after call floated through the blackness. Standing on the back porch it seemed we could almost feel the notes.

Our pink Dogwood is in full bloom and Ravishin' Robbie and I have seen hummers and butterflies checking out the pretty flowers. Beneath it, Robbie's Azalea bush is just beginning to open its red flowers.

 

Our Dogwood Tree

Yesterday while grooming Kessy and doing her pre-ride exercises we were "buzzed" several times by a male Hummingbird. We were not far from where the feeder hangs by the barn door, when it's up. We've not hung that one yet, just two on the porches. Do you suppose this little fellow was telling us to hang his feeder?

Mrs. Bluebird is sitting on 5 eggs, in her nest-box in the front yard. I had originally thought 4, but yesterday when Kessy and I were setting out for our afternoon ride I saw her fly out, so I rode over to the box and had a peek. Darling little nest ... The Phoebes have a complete nest in the barn; a Carolina Wren was checking the chicken house for a handy nook to build in, but no nest yet. During Coffee Clutch this morning a pair of Cardinals flitted about the treetops, clicking and chirping. They were sure silly making a big fuss as they went about searching for the perfect nesting site.

Plans are for Ravishin' Robbie and me to take our Spring Wildflower drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway on Wednesday. Can't wait for that. The mountain is simply a beautiful place to enjoy God's splendor. Last Spring we counted over twenty different varieties of wildflowers on our trip.

Sending wishes for everyone to have a Happy Monday and great week!

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

Annabelle told me they had-"HUMMINGBIRDS IN PA IN DECEMBER?"

Howdy Folks,
 

I called Annabelle last evening, she says "hi" to all her facebook and blog friends she never met but loves dearly. She thanks everyone for the cards and gifts, they, and thoughts of you, cheer up her room. She was extra excited for me to call this week because she had really fun news that she wanted to tell everyone ... If you're new to the blog, Annabelle bird is a long time dear friend in PA who taught me much about birds, wildflowers and heirloom plants. We have a lot of history together. For years I had a bluebird trail on her farm which I monitored by horseback. She would stop me as I rode past her porch for a detailed report each week. When we moved to VA in '06 I kept in touch weekly. About a year ago dear Annabelle moved to a nursing home and now she looks forward to our chats even more. I tell her about the VA birds and she tells me about the PA birds.

Our phone visits usually start out with the details of the birds visiting the feeders outside her nursing home window. Not to much going on there right now she said, just the normal Chickadees, a few Juncos, House Finches and Gold Finches. I told her it is really warm here, too and our feeders have about the same attendance, but we get a few Cardinals and Red Breasted Nuthatches, too. We agreed the warm weather and abundance of natural food had our feathered friends enjoying nature's bounty in the wild.

There's a local radio show that Annabelle listens to each Saturday morning all about local birding. In past years we had both been regular callers, and of course listeners, but sadly the station does not stream on the internet so I've not heard the show in 6 years, but Annabelle usually gives me the highlights each week.

Rufous Hummingbird

Well this week's highlight was all about Hummingbirds in Berks and Lancaster Counties, PA in December! … There were several (7) "confirmed" sightings of Rufous Hummingbirds at feeders, December 11 – 15! I know folks are reading this in places far from PA and where it stays much warmer year round, but it gets mighty chilly in PA by December and Hummingbird sightings are very rare indeed by November! Many folks who feed, though, will keep feeders up through November for the stragglers. 

But a Hummingbird sighting in mid December is something extraordinary for sure! Of course any sighting of a Rufous Hummingbird in PA is worth getting excited about as they are rare there anytime.

Allen's Hummingbird

And there was even more December, Hummingbird news from PA that Annabelle had to share. There were 3 sightings of the very rare indeed Allen's Hummingbird, too!! I had to go to Cornell Lab of Ornithology to even read about it so I could tell you! They say, "Extremely similar in appearance to the widespread Rufous Hummingbird, the Allen's Hummingbird breeds only along a narrow strip of coastal California and southern Oregon." …. What was this little fellow doing in PA in the winter? How did he get there? Both the Rufus and Allen's sightings were confirmed by several very knowledgeable birders and one of the Rufus and the Allen's were even banded! Wow!

The most common Hummingbird on the East Coast is of course the Ruby Throated, and in the summer months Robbie and I hang plenty of feeders and have as many as 50 of the flying jewels on our porch at a time here in VA. We always keep a few feeders up until the end of November … Next year we'll keep them up until New Years!

Some very exciting and unexpected news from Annabelle, for sure. And to add a twist to this story … Yesterday during Coffee Clutch with Kessy and the gang I had asked Kessy how many weeks yet until the Hummingbirds returned … It was that thought that made me call Annabelle yesterday.

Link to Allen's Humming Bird at Cornell Ornithology

Link To Rufous Humming Bird at Cornell Ornithology

Gitty Up

Dutch Henry

Juncos are here!

The Juncos are here, and the white throated sparrows and red breasted nuthatches. Robbie and I have been on the road a lot the past few days and every now and then I thought I saw juncos on the roadside, sometimes mixed in with cardinals,chipping sparrows and bluebirds,  but had not seen any here at the feeders yet, so I wasn't sure, they were here yet.

I'd scarcely settled into my "coffee with Kessy chair" this morning when I saw a small bird land in the branches above the chicken scratch, then another. I suspected it would be juncos, and sure enough when it hopped down to dine on cracked corn, barley and wheat it was indeed a tiny "snow bird."  Along with it was a single white throated sparrow ... Two pilliated woodpeckers flew over calling "yak, yak, yak," and a small flock of cardinals swooped into the chicken scratch with such gusto it scattered the chickens!

Gone are the hummingbirds, although we still maintain a single hummingbird feeder as the latest a migratory hummer ever drifted by was Nov 15, so we figure we'd best keep a refueling station at the ready, just in case. Gone too are the phoebes, although I thought I'd heard one two days ago at coffee time.

Ravishin' Robbie was the first to spy the red breasted nuthatch at the black oil sunflower feeder yesterday morning. Then, before we hit the road, I went to fill it and didn't that tiny blue, black and russet bird land on the feeder as I held it in my hand! For a second we were inches apart, eyeball to eyeball … What a treat! I called Annabelle to share with her all the bird activity. She loves to hear all about it ... Says it gets her out of the nursing home room.

I'm reminded of last winter when I'd be calling the chickens as I scattered their scratch how the juncos would gather in the trees waiting to dive in and dine before the chickens waddled in. Today there was only one junco, I wonder how many days before the whole flock checks in?

Have a beautiful day!!