Mine, Mine, Mine

(Allen’s Hummingbird)

“Mine, mine, mine,” or so they seem to say.

One of our joys this spring and summer was the replanting of the garden that wraps around our front patio. The goal was to establish a drought tolerant area that might be particularly attractive to hummingbirds. Anna’s, Allen’s, and Rufous Hummingbirds were all possibilities.

It was the Allen’s Hummingbird that first showed up and claimed the prize—a constant supply of Black Sage and Firecracker plants that produce apparently very seductive tubular blossoms.

At one point, four of the speed demons competed for dominance in the yard, then two. Finally one female won out. She maintains watch from the pointed tip of an Agave leaf. She’s kept alert by the occasional reappearance of her earlier competitors who still scout the neighborhood. Their aerial displays are truly amazing.

So impressive are their antics, that they have turned Finn, our Golden Retriever, into an ardent birder with the rest of the family. I don’t know if the birds, or the dog watching the birds, is more entertaining.