Every morning, I sit on my back porch, coffee in hand, and watch the backyard greet the day. We have been experiencing beautiful fall-like weather with cool, clear mornings that warm up a bit in the afternoon. The skies have been cloudless and bright blue. The only exception was on September 5, when these unusual clouds appeared in the northwestern sky. They were so interesting looking, I just had to take a picture of them!

The migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been very busy the last few weeks, really picking up their activity in the last few days. They have found the small feeder on the bedroom window and the Coleus plant that grows just under it. One of the hummingbirds spent about 10 minutes visiting the Coleus plant, methodically going from bloom to bloom, sipping nectar. The Passiflora plant just started to bloom. I can’t wait for them to find these gorgeous flowers!

I am not a talented enough photographer to catch hummingbirds in flight. All I get is a blurry image of bright, shimmery green as they zoom by! But, the experience of just watching them as they play and interact with each other is simply mesmerizing. They frolic among the trees and plants, dive-bombing as they fly so close to each other that it is a wonder they don’t collide! The near misses sound like bees buzzing in the flowers. They have also been very interested in the Shrimp plants lately. They dip their long tongues into the graceful Shrimp plant blooms to take a drink.

The hummingbirds’ delicate dance with each other is so beautiful. They swish their tail feathers back and forth like a little broom, as they hover in front of each other. They seem to sway hypnotically back and forth as they engage with the other hummingbirds. The way they seem to float up and down in front of each other reminds me of an orchestra conductor, moving her arms to communicate with the musicians during a symphony. All the instruments play in harmony with each other under the direction of the conductor. The hummingbirds conduct their own kind of symphony in my quiet wilderness backyard. I am soaking up every moment with them, as I know the time is fast approaching for them to continue their migration for the season. Until then, I will continue to enjoy the dance!

Of course, my two sentinels, Doc and Coop, keep watch on all the comings and goings in the quiet wild!