This is a sad, yet incredible story. Since putting up the hummingbird feeder, we have had scores of hummers zoom in and take a drink, but one hummer has claimed the feeder as his own. He's a juvenile Rufous Hummingbird and he is FEISTY! He defends his feeder with the vigor of a thousand Spartans, as I witnessed about two weeks ago. I heard some quarreling at the feeder (this is a regular occurrence) but it reached a new level of squeaking/buzzing so I went out to look and saw that the juvenile male had skewered another hummer while he was at the feeder. It was incredible. While I stood there and watched he repeatedly stabbed him and the wounded hummer eventually slumped backwards and hung off the feeder upside down, breathing heavily. I looked out later and it was gone. I feel privileged to have witnessed such an incredible/gory thing, but that's how nature is: incredible and gory.
Looking rather apprehensive about scooping out all the innards of the pumpkin. Don't worry - he warmed up to it later. And by warmed up I mean he lost interest and went back to playing with trucks. Hah!
Halloween dinner! Mummy dogs! I know they look SUPER appetizing, and I have to say they weren't as tasty as they look. Erm. I probably won't make them again.
This is something I will make again. Possibly every day. For a year. Wait, did I imply that I made it? Hah. Yeah right. Big J definitely made these. He's a genie with ground beef.
Now on to some desert adventures!
Possibly my new favorite picture of Little J.
If there's a low-lying rock within a half-mile radius, Little J will find it, climb on top of it and then look at me, very satisfied.
He's a terrible hiker. Seriously. It took me hiking for about twenty minutes to get to the place where we played around for a while (he was in the backpack) and about an hour to walk back with him out of the pack! Every fifteen feet or so, he'd suddenly stop and stick his hands/truck in the dirt, or run off into the desert. To be honest, it was actually mostly adorable.
Such a little babe in such a big world!
His level of goober-i-ness has reached a new high.
See what I mean?
crazy about that hummingbird. note to self never to have one so i can go one pretending no one ever dies in nature.
ReplyDeleteand james is a gem. he'll climb all over henry this christmas and henry won't even know what's coming, but i'm so so so excited.
Oh. My. Goodness! Hummingbirds are crazy! If I saw that I would have been bawling like a baby. Such a wild and adventurous life you lead.
ReplyDeleteJames is a cutie-pa-tootie for sure!