More COVID–19 Era shopping

Remember our old BBQ? It's gone to a recycle store. That's the short story. It's pretty complicated. 

JB found us a new one. He visited several stores.  They had one the size we wanted at Home Hardware, but no one to deliver it. He went to Crappy Tire, and found a bigger one, bought it and paid $35 for them to assemble it. They gave us a business card of someone who delivers. Easy peasy!

 It wasn't assembled. The day before, JB spent 20 min. on the phone on hold, as someone was looking to see if said BBQ was assembled. I told him to hang up. He tried again later. They said he'd get the floor model.

We hired a company to pick it up ($65) and take the old one away ($35). The two men went to the store and they couldn't find it. After some discussion, they gave our delivery men the floor model. They took the old one to a BBQ recycle. It's a biggie, with four burners and a side burner. That's for power outages and making coffee.

As the men did their work, one bonked his head on the hummingbird feeder. I should have moved it. It's the one I forgot to put water into the ant moat. 

Later, I thought I'd make some more feed. Picking it up in the sink I dropped it. I admit I swore.

JB assertively said he'd go in an fetch me another. That was a trip and a half. I found the product online, they said they had them in stock. Our mistake was in not writing down the product number. It says 'aisle 67' but it wasn't obvious. He got help from one staff member. They went to the computer. They found the aisle. No joy. The woman in charge of the section was called. She disappeared somewhere, and found them.  

In the meantime, the horse chestnut tree is blossoming. The bumble bees bumble about, weaving in and out of the flowers.

I'm sad about our catalpa tree. The first one is showing leaves. The other doesn't have any leaves. It's dead as a door nail. I planted some wild grape vine at the bottom of it. Maybe that will bear fruit.

 

And, a happy little gray tree frog spent the day on the railing. He even called!

They are singing for love, as many critters are doing.

I really enjoy the tree frogs. This is an old video from when we first moved into the house.

Migration of ruby-throated hummingbirds

This was one of my mom's birds.
After she passed, I was slow to put up a feeder.
They let me know by peering in the window!
I put out food for them immediately!

There is a great website, especially for teachers, Journey North.
Visit All Journey North Maps <= here. They show the reports from last year, as well, for those of us who keep track and like data!

For example: Spring 2012
animation/map/data 

These little guys were here by March last year.

hummingbirds are moving north!

Tracking the trek north of our critters is a special pay-it-forward treat from our neighbours to the south. I am grateful for the people who report to the website.

I have put up the feeder, having watched the progress of the hummingbirds this year.

They were early last year, with our early melt and early spring.

Now is the time to prepare your feeders. There are things to remember with feeders. Do not use soap, or anything else like this, to clean your feeder. Simply use vinegar and water, and shake it up in the feeder. If there is scum inside, put in some raw rice and shake it up.

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

• 1 part sugar to 4 parts water (e.g., i cup sugar, 4 of water)
• Boil the mixture for 5 minutes to kill bacteria

Cleaning

• Let cool and store excess in refrigerator until ready to use.
• Thoroughly clean the feeder by rinsing with one part white vinegar to four parts water.
• Do this weekly after the feeder is up and going, especially in hot weather.
• Check to see if the nectar is cloudy, which could mean (deadly) bacteria.
• If the feeder is visibly dirty, add a few grains of dry rice to the vinegar solution to help scrub it clean, as an abrasive.
• Rinse out the vinegar wash by rinsing 3 times with clear, warm water before refilling with sugar solution.



Isn't she pretty?!

• Do not add: food coloring, honey (which ferments), or artificial sweetener, which has no nutritional value.

Hummingbirds are going to be early!

I loved this feeder.
Busted it this past month!

This is a great site, where they are mapping sightings of these birds. You can compare 2011 sightings with 2012.

It's called Journey North, and it is a great learning tool for kids 8 to 80!
I'm not sure if it is a non-profit, but it appears to be so. I checked out the site-map and it wasn't clear. It is free to participate, which is the important thing for me!

Journey North engages students in a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. K-12 students share their own field observations with classmates across North America. They track the coming of spring through the migration patterns of monarch butterflies,robins, hummingbirds, whooping cranes, gray whales, bald eagles— and other birds and mammals; the budding of plants; changing sunlight; and other natural events. Find migration maps, pictures, standards-based lesson plans, activities and information to help students make local observations and fit them into a global context. Widely considered a best-practices model for education, Journey North is the nation's premiere "citizen science" project for children. The general public is welcome to participate.


To clean your bird feeder DO NOT USE SOAP! Use vinegar and water and shake it in the feeder. If there is mold in it, then add some grains of rice that will scrub it.


Just for fun: a hummingbird moth!

hummingbird moth!

Difficult to photograph!

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe
• 1 part sugar to 4 parts water (e.g., i cup sugar, 4 of water)
• Boil the mixture for 5 minutes to kill bacteria
• Let cool and store excess in refrigerator until ready to use.
• Thoroughly clean the feeder by rinsing with one part white vinegar to four parts water.
• Do this weekly after the feeder is up and going, especially in hot weather.
• Check to see if the nectar is cloudy, which could mean (deadly) bacteria.
• If the feeder is visibly dirty, add a few grains of dry rice to the vinegar solution to help scrub it clean, as an abrasive.
• Rinse out the vinegar wash by rinsing three times with clear, warm water before refilling with sugar solution.
• Do not add: food coloring, honey (which ferments), or artificial sweetener, which has no nutritional value.

Visit more C.C. here! #210

Flowers and hummingbirds

I love this season. The lilacs are just bursting. The iris are beautiful, with bees burying their heads in their blossoms. The delightful hummingbirds are bopping about.

Now, the males are the ones so often photographed, with their bright red chins, but the female's emerald green is a sight to behold, too.

I have included a photo of a hummingbird moth. I haven't seen one here, yet, but once the sweet william blossom, I'm sure they will be about!

Pretty little female at the restaurant

in Algonquin Park Arowhon Lodge

At the very bottom of this post is a repost of information on hummingbirds and feeding protocol, just in case. Cleaning their feeders is crucial, using vinegar and some rice grains.  

Male at my old feeder

Hummingbird moth
I videotaped it, too!

Do you know how hard they are to photograph? It takes practice and many, many shots. Glad to have digital options now!

Here is a Britannica.com video of hummingbird courtship. And what to do if they get sick.(Other than do no harm!)

My quirky feeder shaped like a whisky bottle

Facts:

• Ruby-throated hummingbird
• 60 - 80 wing beats per second
• must feed every 10 - 5 minutes
• weighs about 3 grams
• measures about 9 cm (3 1/2")
• Males have a red throat
• A small bird of the Trochilidae family
• Round in S. Canada to the Gulf States
• Winters in Mexico & Central America
• Males fly back and forth like a pendulum in an arc,
• Double their weight in preparation for migration.
• Attracted by bee balm, hollyhock, hibiscus, trumpet honeysuckle, clematis, impatiens, phlox and fuchsias; aphids, small insects, spiders.
• As she builds her nest, over a week, and lines it with soft materials.
• the female makes 150 trips for materials: twigs, grass, feathers, spider webs, pieces of lichen
• She usually lays two eggs, which incubate 12 - 20 days.
• They are fed pre-digested food.
• After two weeks they can be left alone over night.
• After 17 days, the hen feeds them, but leaves them still hungry.
• The hen flies above them, with bits of food, to encourage them to become more independent. (Rather like teaching a kid to drive the car!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

• 1 part sugar/4 parts water
• Boil the mixture for 5 minutes to kill bacteria
• Thoroughly clean the feeder by rinsing with one part white vinegar to four parts water.
• Do this weekly after the feeder is up and going, especially in hot weather.
• Check to see if the nectar is cloudy, which could mean (deadly) bacteria.
• Let cool and store excess in refrigerator until ready to use.
• If the feeder is dirty, add a few grains of dry rice to the vinegar solution to help scrub it clean, as an abrasive.
• Rinse out the vinegar wash by rinsing three times with clear, warm water before refilling with sugar solution.



Two females were in disagreement!

• Do not add food coloring, honey (which ferments), or artificial sweetener, which has no nutritional value.

National Audubon Society brochure (PDF)




Now, lest you think we are homefree to summer, the temperature in this May 31st, 2009 video was 4 C. May Muskoka Snow & Hummingbirds !