Today in Sycamore Canyon the Costa's hummingbirds are back. I have been seeing males for the most part for the past couple of weeks, but today a female Costa's showed up. I love feeding hummingbirds but the feeders do present a challenge. Not only do bees tend to hover around them at certain times, but now I am busy fighting ants drawn to the sugary syrup. I used to have a different feeder here on the window under the covered patio over my patio table because hummingbirds like to feed in the shade and this arrangement keeps them dry when it rains. The other feeder I had was the inversion type where you flip it over to fill it and then invert the bottle for the birds to feed. The problem is that with the high temperatures we have been having lately the nectar is forced out of the bottle do to the increased pressure when the liquid inside expands, thus dripping all over my table and attracting ants. So, for now I am trying this type of feeder in this location which is a saucer feeder and tends to discourage ants and bees. However, the Gila woodpeckers may still hang from it to feed which will also cause it to drip and then I will have to think of something else!
Meanwhile, I still have the inversion type of feeders elsewhere in my yard. The ants have also found these and are climbing the shepherds hooks I have them on, as well as the glass window where my window feeder is held on by suction cups. In my war against the ants I have tried several things. First I broke down and sprayed a chemical spray after removing all feeders and plants from the area. I immediately felt guilty for this and washed it all away. While it killed the ants I could see, it didn’t stop them from coming back later in the day. Then I tried ant traps. It was all well and good until fresh nectar dripped on the table. The ants bypassed the bait and went straight for the sugar-water! What now? Well, I changed the feeder as stated above. I tired spraying the ants with my white vinegar solution I use to clean the windows with. It killed the ants but didn’t keep them from coming back. So, I am now trying this…
Meanwhile…
… as well as this baby curve-billed thrasher being fed by its parent.
My bougainvillea in bloom today.
Hot, sunny, and windy here in Sycamore Canyon today. It was 77 degree F when I first got up at 7:30 a.m. but has now risen to 102 degrees F. A few clouds are wafting overhead and the wind has picked up quite a bit. It is suppose to blow quite fiercely over the next few days and the temperature is suppose to drop into the high 80’s! That is almost unheard of for June and will be a relief after the triple digit temperatures we have been having as of late.
Today in Sycamore Canyon I am also thinking of fellow blogger, birder, and artist Debby Kaspari. Debby and her husband Mike had their home and studio destroyed last month in an F4 tornado in Oklahoma. Julie Zickefoose has written a fantastic article about it on her blog with links to where you can donate if you are interested. Please take a look and see if you would like to help. Debby and Mike escaped with only their lives and their cat. Click on the links below to read the amazing stories and see photos for yourself. Debby, I wish you all the best. May you start painting again soon for all of us and For the Birds!
Debby’s Blog: Drawing the Motmot
