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And just like that, they were gone. My fine, tiny feathered friends have flown the coop. Off they went to southern regions where hummingbirds can become snowbirds, escaping our frigid winters.
I held out hope that I might see a few stragglers this past week, but to no avail. Only a few bees took over sipping the last of the sugar water left in two feeders.
I plan to leave one small feeder up for another week. Experts in the field of hummers say it's a good idea to keep one source of food available for any tired or late travelers.
For months I have marveled at the antics of my annual visitors. How they know where and when to return to the exact location of our front yard still amazes me. Once they started showing up in late May, more and more followed until there were nearly 10 birds fighting it out at the feeders.
There is something fairylike about hummingbirds. The mere fact that they can survive their yearly comings and goings is magical. Their delicate features, colorful bodies and amazingly strong wings gives me pause and thanks to the Creator who gave us such wonders.
Entertainment? They provided more than that. I viewed the feeders from a front window. Sometimes just watching them interact, swooping while making those tiny noises, was just the medicine the doctor ordered on some of those rainy, gloom-filled days.
Not even the rain kept them from slurping at the feeders. In fact, according to my firsthand observations, the birds enjoyed the rain. When I walked out of the house to fill the feeders each day, several birds would fly around me as if to say "it's about time!"
On one of the last days of sightings, I was sitting in the window when a single hummer hovered near the glass. I believe he was saying thank you and goodbye. It was me who thanked him and wished him and his friends a safe return next year. I miss them already.
Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.