Meet Squeaks

One of the things I look forward to in springtime is the return of the ruby throat hummingbirds. Where we live, in central Pennsylvania, the first one usually arrives during the final week of April, plus or minus a day or two.

It was always a dream of mine to have hummingbirds in the yard, and when I finally got my own house, I decided I would make that dream come true. I started hanging feeders and planting things I thought they would love, including a pollinator garden full of bright red monarda blooms and other treats.

This year, I hung two feeders in mid-April, and the tiny birds returned right on schedule. At first, the ones you see are usually just passing through; they enjoy a quick snack, but they keep on going. But by this point in the summer, the ones that I've been seeing are here to stay.

All of this is a long way around to introduce you to my little buddy Squeaks, aka Squeakers, aka Squeaksie. Why do we call him that? Because he comes to the feeder out front and squeaks a lot! He also enjoys sitting on a wire and patrolling the skies, guarding what he considers to be "his" feeder.

There is another ruby throat male who has been trying to challenge him, and the chases and squeaks and chirps when they get into it are amazing to hear. You'd think with two hummingbirds, and two feeders, all would be well, right? Aha, NOT SO!

An endearing trait of Squeaksie is also that in the evening when I am sitting in my chair in the living room, he likes to come by the window and peek in at me. I know I am not imagining it. He is LOOKING for me.

When I go out and sit on the porch with the cat each morning, one or more hummingbirds always come by. This morning, as I write this, we saw two, and the one chased the other off, then hung in the air in front of the cat and me, squeaking proudly. He'd successfully defended "his" feeder!

My Mazda sits outside in the driveway now, directly across from the front feeder. And about two weeks ago, I got the bright idea to use the car as a sort of duck blind. I would put the windows down and sit in the backseat with my camera, waiting to photograph hummingbirds, not unlike a paparazzi stalking the newest star.

Well, I regret to tell you how it went. It wasn't an overly hot day, but even with the windows down, I nearly melted in the heat. I held my camera up, zoom out, resting it on the window. Meet the wild National Geographic photographer, on assignment, in the tiny bird's native habitat: look out, peeps!

How'd it go? Well, I can't call it a success. Only one bird came by; he sat on the other side of the feeder so I couldn't even see him. I got ZERO decent shots. I climbed out of the car 15 minutes later sweaty, limp, and disgusted.

We interrupt this blip for a public service announcement. Do NOT leave your animals in the car in the heat, people. Really. Not ever. Even if you think it's comfy out, in the car, it gets much, MUCH hotter! You must take my word on this.

So on Monday afternoon, I took a break in my day and simply stood by the back of my car, with my camera ready. I only had to wait about 10 minutes before Squeaksie came by.

He sat and fed for a very long time. The light was bright, almost too much glare, but I finally got a few decent shots. This was the best one to date, so here it is. Meet my little buddy, Squeaks, the hummingbird!

The soundtrack: Annie Lennox, with Little Bird.

Note on hummingbird food: If you have feeders of your own, I recommend making your own hummingbird food: 1 part sugar, 4 parts water, no red dye. And if you have a feeder, please commit to washing and refilling it regularly, or don't bother hanging one. It's too easy to breed mildew, mold, and bacteria, which will make the little birds very sick. If maintaining a feeder is too much responsibility, consider simply planting flowers hummingbirds love around your yard instead (they are attracted to the color red). Even better, do BOTH!