The Beautiful But Rude, Ms. Rufous

Now what kind of subject is that? Not much more than another "bird blessing." You see it is actually quite rare to have a hummingbird visit here in the middle of Calgary. On the 10th of August, I drove up to my place, and getting out of my car I happened to see this little movement up on my "bird house trunk."

I look up. There sitting directly on the "Urban Bird Time-Share" sign is a tiny female Rufous hummingbird! She sat there for a minute looking around and looking down at me.

She then spied a black squirrel making its way down the tree-trunk stairs, and ATTACKED him! It was quite wonderful to see this nature in action. Squirrels around here are not afraid of ANYTHING, but he sure took off fast with this tiny pointed weapon after him!

Well, she stayed around my "scarlet honey-suckle" arbour for exactly 5 weeks. I put out a sugar water feeder for her after I knew she was staying, but it was just the real nectar from the flowers that she wanted. (She fed from it a couple of times, but after a while, completely ignored it.)

A couple of days before she left, I was coming through the arbour over my front gate. I was carrying a couple of bags of groceries, and instead of scaring her off, I put them down and watched her sitting on the vine watching me (we were two feet apart). So, I talked to her a bit (mostly about how special she was, and how I've enjoyed her company). She cocked her very tiny head and listened to me. You know, it feels pretty great to have such a tiny audience.

Well, she must have got a bit bored after a while because she stropped her beak on the wood and STUCK HER TONGUE OUT AT ME! (A hummingbird's tongue is twice as long as their beak and looks like a translucent vermicelli noodle.)

Anyway, this time with her here has been fantastic. The many neighbours I have shared her with have been pleased as well. My gardening neighbour Sophie up the way, who has lived on this street since 1952, has NEVER before seen a hummingbird here.

The other evening the temperature went down to 3 degrees. She was still here the next day, fuelling up on flower food. However, after the temperature went down the next evening, the following morning, September 14th, she set off.

I think of her now and again. She has many, many miles to go, winging her way through the sky all the way to Mexico.

What a blessing her visit here has been. I got some photos of her around the arbour, and will most definitely try to bring the memory out in a new watercolour painting!