Photo Description This is my "Au Naturel" stress reliever too. Taking a peek at them on and off throughout the day I'll burst out laughing watching them, because we've seen, (my hubby and I) some really funny stuff they do, and seeing them have a ball in the water, just gives one a different perspective on life too - The hummingbirds drink and bathe also, which is so adorable, and we get all kinds of species that come to drink and bathe every day, and it's been an absolute kick watching them with their get-togethers at the fountain. The tannish bird on the left that was watching me take a picture of them all, we call him Stilts, as his legs are long and straight, as though his knees are locked, (heck maybe he doesn't have knees that bend, I don't know), hehe, but he's so cute and seems not afraid of the camera. We have mother birds and their babies that will fly in together to the fountain, and the mother birds will sometimes feed their babies right there on the fountain while their little feet are all gripped onto the rocks, and it's a magnificent sight to see such life happening!
We had picked up an inexpensive fountain for our backyard feathered friends a few years ago, and I piled rocks on the top tier as it seems by watching them, they appear to like the naturalness of the rocks, maybe it makes it more realistic to them, and we just love seeing them enjoy it.
a great one.
Photo Location
This picture was taken in our backyard in Las Vegas.
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Marvelous photo.
How fortunate you are to have the privilege to see all these birds in their "natural" habitat.
Thanks for posting the photo and also the account of everyday happenings with your backyard friends.
Thank you very much.
It's funny, this photo, I use as my computer desktop background now. I can't get enough of these little feathered wonders. Yes, we really are fortunate to have them come to our backyard, and we've done what we can to make sure it's a safe haven for them.
We've had even "tagged birds" come to the feeders and the fountain, which makes me cringe seeing a metal band on those
hair thin legs of theirs. But, I know that's the only way for the experts to keep track of certain species. I should post a picture of that, which I love taking pictures of them all, and have 10's of thousands of pics actually from over the years.
I'd read something a bit ago regarding dryer lint and birds making their nests. People were saying put out your dryer lint for the birds to help them with building materials.
I'd thought (from things I'd read here and there on the internet) to save that dryer lint, and I did recently, and put it outside so the birds can use it for their nests, which I stuffed it here and there in bushes so they'd find it, which we have a couple of very busy hummingbirds right now searching high and low, literally, for nest making materials.
We watch those tiny female hummingbirds flying to the ground, just to pick up a feather that someone else had lost, and they carry it with them to the feeders with one foot, then take a drink and then off they go, probably to their nests.
But what I just learned yesterday, was dryer lint as they said, is a no-no because if it rains, or the sprinklers gets the dryer lint wet that's in their nests, then the dyer lint becomes like cement when it dries, and baby birds are in the nest for a while, so their little feet could become stuck in the stuff. The reason is, dryer lint usually has some degree of fabric softener in it, and that's what makes dryer lint become hardened when it gets wet, then dries.
So this morning before the sun came up, I was outside picking and pulling all the dryer lint from the bushes I'd stuffed it into. Sheesh.
I wished I'd of read more on that before I even put it out. But, now I know.
This is that picture of the hummingbird with the
"band on it's leg", the lower leg that is hanging onto the
wire there with the feeder.
The picture has a bit of information on it, because the day I took that picture of the hummingbird and enlarged it in my pics, that's when I saw that band on it's practically eyelash size leg!
I almost flipped when I saw that because their little legs are so tiny, and I couldn't believe they put a metal band on it's little leg, but I guess this is what the "bird experts" do to big birds and tiny birds.
I'd emailed this picture to them so we could find out where this little guy was from, (that's what the writing is about) and come to find out, he was "banded" about 30 miles from our house.
Just thought after all the years I've watched and photo'ed birds, that this was quite different and interesting to see , as I didn't know they banded hummingbird legs too.
Thank you for posting the information about the dryer lint as it is a wide spread rumor that birds can use the dryer lint for their nesting material.
I also researched on bird sites and found the same as you stated, that it was not a good idea.
Hopefully, more will read your post and stop saving lint for the birds.
I did not know they banded humming birds - they are so tiny!
How did you make the fountain?
I'm sorry I am just now seeing your post in asking how I made the fountain. I actually bought it online, it wasn't expensive at all, under 50 bucks I think.
What's really weird though about this particular fountain, is here in Vegas, like lots of other places, it gets very hot in the summer, and this fountain (the stand part of it) was like a "wax candle" in that it got soft when the temperatures were over 100, and the whole fountain was leaning over, because the stand got soft from the heat outside, almost ready to fall, so we had to get a different stand for it. The rocks I put in, just so the birds would have a place to stand on besides the rim.
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