House Sparrows

 

 

 

Really really clean house sparrows.

 

 

When we were kids in California

 

 

We didn’t’ get to see cardinals.  They weren’t there.  They’re a southern and eastern thing.

 

We can see them every day here in South Texas though.

 

 

And they still seem special.

 

Hummingbirds

 

 

She thinks we don’t know where she is.

 

These little migrating miracles.

 

They can flap their wings 50 times a second.  Their hearts can beat 1,200 times per minute.  Bulking up for migration, they can consume up to 3 times their body weight every day.  Then they fly 500 miles nonstop straight across the Gulf!

 

A hooded oriole

 

 

 

In the thicket behind our house.

 

A citizen of the southwest, from South Texas to California, the hooded oriole eats insects, nectar, and fruit, so we don’t see it at feeders, unless it’s plundering a hummingbird feeder.

 

Rufous Hummingbird

 

 

A female rufous.

 

Both the male and female aggressively defend feeders, as long as they’re here, and chase even larger hummingbirds away.

 

So here it is, the fearsome rufous.

 

Hummingbirds

 

 

The fall migration has begun.  We’re got half a dozen hummingbirds visiting the feeders each day.

 

Four different kinds: the resident buff-bellied which are here all year, black-chinned, rufous, and ruby-throated.  These would be the ruby-throated:

 

 

 

 

It’s a nice day

 

 

…for a walk in the park in town.

 

 

And the reason we’re in town is to see the dentist.

 

 

I preferred the park.