[TN-Bird] Rufous Hummingbird Day 86

From: eyesew@xxxxxxxxx (Virginia Curtis)
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2005 06:54:32 -0600
Willie's stomach gave him an early wakeup call again today as he hurried
from the pre-dawn darkness into the feeder light at 6:05 a.m., stabbed
at the sugar water and dived back into his cedar bush.  He then came
three more times in the next ten minutes, finally settling down and
sitting and drinking for almost thirty seconds.  

He ended yesterday with another of those "cute" moments we will
treasure.  We were gone several hours and did not get to watch him until
late afternoon.  From 4:55 until 5:25 he came to the feeder five times,
interspersed with sitting on his wrought iron butterfly beside the cedar
bush and flying out to catch those tiny, tiny insects.  As we watched
him at the feeder in those five extended visits we were shocked because
Willie looks woeful!  He has begun molting around the face and his head
feathers are changing colors and more green appearing and there is what
appears to be the first patch of that deep red/purple in his gorget
below his left eye. Our uneducated conclusion is that he may become what
Sibley describes as happening to only 5% of adult Rufous males - a
Green-backed with the green head and back area between the wings and the
beautiful deep red/purple throat.  Right now he looks ruffled and
unkempt but still amazingly beautiful.  Time makes changes in everything
we love, but love causes the mind to retain a beautiful image of the one
loved and that image superimposes itself on how we view that loved one.
We've been married 47 years and I still see a 17-year-old every day.  

A personal note of gratitude to the dozens of you who have written
encouraging notes in the last few days.  We had no idea so many people
from Rhode Island to Mississippi were making our posts about Willie a
part of their daily enjoyment of birds.  We may not be able to answer
all of them individually but we sure are happy to hear from you.  And we
have failed to mention lately that if you would like to see some great
pictures Richard Connors took of Willie back in December, we'd be glad
to forward them to you.

Tommy & Virginia Curtis
Smithville, TN
DeKalb County

=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------------------- 
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
          web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    ========================================================
[TN-Bird] Rufous Hummingbird Day 86

Other related posts:
