The SCARLET TANAGER is here.....

We spotted him two nights ago, but only saw him for a split second. I didn't know what type of bird it was at first as I only saw the incredible red of his plumage. However this morning, I saw him out the front window in a tree. Even though he was a ways away, of course I had to grab my camera and start shooting away. I mean what if he never came back, having a bad picture of him is better than having no picture at all, right? Well all the sudden he flew off the tree brach...and I was still shooting away as he flew toward me. Then Bam, the bird flew right into the window right in front of my face. OMG, I looked down and I screamed Oh My God he's dead! His wings were spawled out to either side and he was just laying there. I'm yelling at Clayton He's Dead, He's Dead and then all the sudden I saw his head move. So I said, 'no wait, he moved his head', but he was still just laying there not moving hardly at all. A woodpecker had just done the same thing just minutes before, slamped into the sliding glass door to the right of the window where this guy hit. Then as I looked down again to where the bird was laying I saw him bring in his wings...but he was still just laying there. Clayton yells to me, 'lunch is ready'...so I say to myself, ok I'll go eat lunch and he better be gone by the time I'm done eating. I get to the table where lunch was served (yummy hotdogs they were) and looked at my camera and wouldn't you know, I have NO CARD! I'm bummed because now I think he's going to die and I'll never get a shot of him again...but I calmed down and ate my lunch then ran back to the window with my camera and my card and there he is just sitting up and as I got ready to take his picture he flew back up into the tree where he was the first time. I was so relieved that he was not dead! I did manage to take a few pictures with the card in, but they didn't turn out very well...so I will wait till I post his image till I get a better shot. Later in the afternoon, another bird flew into yet another window. Man those birds I swear do this daily. There is a reflection coating on the windows and it mirrors outdoors so I'm sure they think they are flying into the woods. Poor little birds....


So after all this I ended up taking some more pictures of the hummingbirds. Below are just a few shots of the female. I swear that she is so tame, I was pulling the tag off the hanger when she came to drink out of the feeder, I was not more than a foot away from her.....that was before I had my camera though I just stood very still and enjoyed the moment.





Ok, I cheated, that purple flower was not really there, it was the ugly yellow flower of the feeder and I just didn't like it, so i cut out this flower from another image and blurred it slightly to cover up the yellow and make it look like the focus is directly on the bird.

Oh this is funny, I also bought an Oriole Feeder, and it has these little cups where you can put jam, jelly or orange soda...yeah orange soda, they Oriole came and ate the grape jelly and guess what came to it and drank the orange soda...Yup you guessed it the hummingbirds! Too funny.