Gratitude for Life’s Small Gifts

Hummingbird feeder (and guest) outside our kitchen window

Endeavoring to make lemonade out of  lemons (which I can assure you does not come naturally to me) of the stay at home order and coronavirus, the last 100 or so days have come with several new, renewed, and beneficial activities, including lots of time looking at  and feeding the birds. Mind you, I’ve always loved birds or the idea of birds, anyway. Hummingbirds, in particular, with their incredible lightness and ability to fly up, down, forward, backward, sideways, and also hover, are fascinating. This year, I was excited to learn more about the feeding and behavioral habits of these tiny fast-flying creatures. Most interesting is that no hummingbirds are found in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, or Antarctica (Western Hemisphere, for the win). 

The two hummingbird feeders I placed in our yard in March are far enough apart to appease the hummingbirds’ territorial nature but close enough to our windows to enjoy viewing.  It’s an exercise in patience (yet another thing that does not come naturally to me) to put the feeders out weeks before they begin migrating and to wait for the hummingbirds to arrive. This year, I placed a small hummingbird swing adjacent to one feeder and am delighted to see them rest there (guarding their food source, the literature says). 

Though difficult to see, that's a heart-shaped hummingbird perch, on the left. 

I’ve had a hummingbird feeder or two in the past but never endeavored quite so ardently to keep it clean, ant-free (ants love the sugar water), and full.  It’s a pleasure; watching hummingbirds arrive daily, most often very early in the morning as well as late in the afternoon, and trying to learn and embrace some life lessons from these little creatures. Hummingbirds are said to represent living a life filled with joy, light, and sweetness. Moving from flower to flower, they are fully present in the moment. Who couldn’t learn something from that?

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