The Great Pretender: This Is Not a Hummingbird!

The hummingbirds have grown more active and more vocal as summer draws to an end. In a bit more than a month, they'll be packing up their bags and heading south, as they always do in the latter part of September.

But for now, it's crazy time in the yard, with lots of chases, acrobatic maneuvers, squeaks, and chirps. (My husband calls them "your dive-bomb buddies," which is so cute.)

I've been doing my best to keep the hummingbird feeder clean and full. I washed it thoroughly and put new food in it upon returning from my trip earlier this week. I'm also considering putting out a second feeder, to prevent the endless squabbles.

This was one of the stranger visitors to my hummingbird feeder on this day. A large, fuzzy bumblebee was pretending to be a hummingbird so it could eat at the feeder.

The bee had discovered that it was easier to simply stick its snoot down one of the feeder holes and drink its fill than to go out and fly around pollinating a bunch of flowers.

Oh yes, my husband and I have shooed it away, but the bumblebee always comes back. It gets a big drink, its furry little bumble-butt twitching like crazy. And then it staggers around the feeder, drunk on the sweet liquid, before flying away.

The soundtrack: Jackson Browne, with an acoustic version of The Pretender.

P.S. In order to catch up, I'm posting two blips today. Please be sure to check out the other one as well!