You're having a party?

 Then why wasn't I invited 😏 it's on our property?  Bit cheeky if you ask me!

They are super hard to see in this photo, but there were a total of 16 mourning doves hanging around the pergola and fence on Saturday morning.

It wasn't too cold, but they were all fluffed up.

They also like sitting on top of the pergola.

Wonder what the occasion was?

They're back.........

Those *loody Robin's are back and are wanting to nest on the window ledge above my front door.  So had to do something about it before they built a nest.

Hunted out my plastic and attached that.

It will be there until probably June, which really is annoying.  However being attacked every time I walk out the front door isn't a good option either.

There was bird muck all over the front porch, so had to swill (wash) that down as well, which drove hubby potty as his phone kept going off because of the alarm on the door bell while he was at work!!!

Hummingbirds.........

We are lucky enough to get Hummingbirds in our garden.  However they are now migrating south for the winter, so I thought I would share some interesting facts with you :

The smallest living bird, the Bee Hummingbird, weighs a mere 2 grams.

The male hummingbird is more colorful than the female. But the female birds are larger in size.

The heart rate of a hummingbird can vary from 250 to 1,200 beats per minute. But at night, during torpor, it can lower this from 50 to 180 beats per minute.

The maximum flight speed of a hummingbird is 30 miles per hour. But it can reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour during a dive.

Interestingly, the hummingbird flies upright, unlike other birds who fly flat.

The hummingbird can see and hear better than humans, but their sense of smell is non existent. Their taste buds are not that great either. They can only make out what is sweet and what is not.

They are able to see ultraviolet lights.

To satisfy its tremendous hunger, the hummingbird may visit up to a thousand flowers every day.

While it is feeding, this bird can lick up to 15 times per second.

These little birds are very territorial by nature. They can be quite aggressive with other males, or even insects if need be.

Although the hummingbird is the smallest in size, its brain is 4.2% of its body weight, making it the largest proportion among all birds.

The metabolism of this small bird is around a hundred times that of an elephant.

These birds are quite lonesome. They live or migrate alone. In fact, the only time they bond is while reproduction.

The hummingbird has a good memory. They remember all the flowers and places that they have visited, so much so that they return to it the next year too.

Most hummingbirds die in the first year of birth, but overall their average lifespan is 5 years, with the maximum being 12 years.

The hummingbird is probably the only bird whose predator is an insect. Praying mantis feed on them.

Hummingbirds have the most number of feathers per square inch, as compared to any other bird.

They are attracted to the color red. Hence, they are mostly seen feeding on flowers in the shade of crimson.

The largest types of species of hummingbirds are found in Ecuador.

Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-the-hummingbirds.html

Also check out this pdf file for more great facts.

I will probably tick some people off but....

I have to do something.  I talked this over with Jane and she agreed with me.  

Every year I mail out Christmas cards to various people and more than half are to people in the UK.  Now granted a lot are family, but some are to friends and acquaintances in the UK.  I was looking through my list of who I had received cards, letters, notes and photos from last year.  I received only a couple of letters from people. Remember the majority of these people I don't talk to from one year to the next.  

Due to the lack of communication other than a Christmas card, it makes me wonder if they actually want any contact with us, and only send us a Christmas card because I send them one?  So this year I am giving them a "way to get out of sending us a Christmas card ever again card."  I composed my annual Christmas letter on Monday and mentioned that due to the cost of postage for us and how busy everyone else is, that if they wanted to stop sending us a Christmas card that was fine.  If they wanted to just send us email greetings, I have included my email address.  The choice is theirs; as to my mind if they can't even be bothered to include a few lines in a card I am quite sure they won't care one way or another if they mail us a Christmas card?

I am sure this will tick off some people, but I am also sure some people will be thankful that they don't have to trail to the post office for an international stamp.  Is there anyone else that feels this way?  I plan on having at least the Christmas cards with UK addresses on sent by the end of the week.  Stay tuned to see what happens.  By the way I asked dh about this and as he pointed out if it was up to him, no one would get a Christmas card!!!

Thanks to the temperatures being warm still on Monday I also managed to get some of the Christmas lights hung up on the deck, so another job out of the way.  Just as well as by Tuesday am it was flipping cold and after the rain we had late on Monday I now have an ice rink for the birdies:

Have to say there have been a few close calls when the birds come in to land!!