Saturday, August 31, 2019

Hummer City

Here is another fascinating thing about the desert.  There are hummers everywhere.  Not the huge steel driving kind, but the teeny tiny bird variety.  As we drove up to Madera Canyon, we came across a big sign that said Hummingbird something or other.  Sorry, I didn't pay much attention at first.

Then we spotted this.  I'm pretty familiar with this setup.  You place a lovely painted background on a tripod, then set up a table with flowers and most likely syrup to attract birds.  Two big strobes (flash attachments) are set up in front, along with an expensive camera.  Voila!!  You have a hummingbird studio shoot.  When the hummer flies to the flowers, you snap the picture.
Although the pink background would be nice, I just shoot holding my camera.  Surely not as fabulous an image, but good enough when it's too hot to be outside!!  
As we wandered along the edge of the parking lot, we realized what was REALLY going on here.  There were probably fifteen hummingbird feeders, along with ten or so birdseed feeders, all with birds attached.  I've never seen so many hummers in one place before.  
There were lots of varieties I can't name, some very tiny, mostly medium sized with an occasional gorilla-sized guy thrown in for good measure.  
There are even benches for you to sit and watch the fray.  These little guys are territorial, especially when it comes to food!!  
There were a few other birds around, none of which I can name.  It didn't matter.  They were just fun to watch.
The cleanup crew was on the job, making sure not a single seed stayed on the ground.  There was so much going on you didn't know where to look.  If you're ever in the area in the fall, be sure and stop in.  Honestly, I could have sat there for hours and watched these guys.
On the way back home, we stopped in at a new Culvers in Green Valley.  I asked just how spicy the spicy crispy chicken was.  I mean really, it can't be THAT bad or they would get sued for burning someone's mouth, right?  The first two bites were delicious.  It went downhill from there.  By the time I got the last bite down, my mouth was on fire!!

No amount of water quenched the flames, but I drank it down anyway since it gave me two seconds of relief.  I know the bun (otherwise known as bread) wasn't on my diet since I gave it up four months ago.  A couple hours later, I was VERY sorry I ate it.  I finally located one lone stale tums on the shelf in the bathroom.  I ate it.  It didn't help.  Just a little reminder that my all time favorite BREAD is off the menu.

Back home, we had lots of fluffy white clouds before getting a little more rain.   Lightning is streaking across the sky as I type, but the wet stuff is dropping to the ground elsewhere.
The Pillsbury Doughboy stopped by to fix my dryer vent, without much success.  I'll relay that story tomorrow, but I have a question.  Will a solid metal pipe get too hot and start a fire?  Because that would be a great solution to this problem.  

You will find me on my patio this morning watching the hummers.  I now have TWO feeders.  I wonder if I should hang up a third??






12 comments:

  1. Gotta love watching the hummers and you got some amazing photos as well.
    Too bad the hot spicy bothered your tummy not so much me only when I over eat, But I do always have some Pepcid AC hand just in case.

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    1. I know you love the HOT stuff!! I try to stay clear, myself.

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  2. Just getting caught up but the solid pipe you are referring to is called Vent Piping. It's used mostly for heat vents and comes in different diameters. Attaching multiple lengths together requires small screws and straps to hold them in place. The only place you will need the flexible vent tubing is directly behind the dryer itself.
    Be Safe and Enjoy the Hummers.

    It's about time.

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    1. Perfect! I'll be heading to Lowes soon to see if I can find some.

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  3. Rick is right also in answer to your question no it won't get so hot it'll cause a fire it'll get very warm yes when you attach it to The underside of your house you usually leave a minimum of 6 inches Picture to follow through email to give you an idea real simple

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    1. Thank you so much! I think I really need to get it fixed!

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  4. Replies
    1. Thank you Elva ... hopefully I'll get to go back!

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  5. I want more feeders too!! The hummers are so cool to watch and I actually have the painting now to do part of that photo setup! :) Thank you for the pictures. Sorry about your mouth burn. Yikes!

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    1. Yes you do Patsy! That would be fun to try with your new camera!!

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  6. Our dryer vent upward, via vent pipes, and out the roof. We have to have it cleaned every few years as lint 'can' gather in the pipe causing less air to flow out through the dryer. Google 4-in Aluminum Round Duct Pipe, that is what you need.

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    1. Thats my problem exactly ... lots of lint in the pipe restricts the air flow.

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