“Buenos dias! We wondered if anyone would ever awaken this morning!”
Mindo Ecuador – My friend “Hummingbird” Barb calls my friends’ property a bird sanctuary. Join us in a cyber birding tour and let us know if you agree with her description! Sometimes words are an intrusion, especially when watching birds, so we’ll save the stories for another post!
“Yes, I’m pretty, but would you like for me to sing for you?”
“I like – BIRDS!”
A little music might be appropriate if we keep the volume low!
Let’s start in the ginger gardens near Casa Colibri! (Hummingbird House)
Breakfast of delicate ginger nectar!
Look who’s taking a morning bath in the ginger leaves!
OK; I’m ready for breakfast now! Do you like my beautiful plumage?
Nature provides lovely palettes of color. – Blue Necked Tanager
Sometimes the hummingbirds slam into windows. Almost always they awaken from their temporary stupor then suddenly dart back to their environment.
“I had the strangest dream about a human peering at me through a box-like intrument.”
“I’ll sit over here in the sun, and maybe they’ll notice me too!”
“No, look over here; we toucans like to watch over the area.”
“We like to perch in this this cluster of trees by the pond.”
“HEY! What about me over here by the footbridge?”
“While you’re looking up there, I’ll sneak around by the kitchen and raid the bananas!”
“And I’ll watch those thieving toucans from the guava tree!”
“Neighborhood watch – at your service!”
Quetzal Corner
There are so many lovely birds – many in need of identification!
“Youch! I think I’ll just sit here for a while.”
Look at this cutie high in the bottle-brush tree!
This one has a dusting of gold on its head!
What cute puffs of feathers you have for boots!
A breakfast of jasmine nectar!
If you stop and look around, you’ll be rewarded with bird sightings.
There’s the golden cap again!
This swallow foraged by the balcony!
The black-striped sparrow is quite handsome.
Bananaquits are some of my favorites.
As often as possible, I send photos to Jim and Julie to help bridge the distance between their Mindo property and where they are in the USA. Julie is slowly regaining her strength and is happy that Jim and cats are finally there with her. With over 400 species of birds in the Mindo cloud forest area, I look forward to capturing many more with the camera. We’ve spotted some very special birds, but I’m hoping for better photos to confirm the sightings! Stay tuned!
Blue gray tanager
Jim and Julie hope to find a buyer who will continue with their vision to keep the property as a natural wildlife reserve. As Barbara noted, it is definitely a bird sanctuary! For more views of the property, this little blue bird (above) will be your guide! Start HERE: A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME.
“Come back soon!”
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
Z, you capture them so well. I am glad the hummingbirds recover from the window accidents. Around here the larger birds do not usually survive the trauma. Beautiful shots. Keith
Buenos dias! So far I’ve not witnessed one casualty, but Jim might have seen the worst-case scenario. I hear the ‘thump’ and dash to see what hit the window and then watch while hoping the bird recovers. It’s always great to see the birds fly away, and they usually perch nearby as if they’re resting and trying to reconstruct what just happened…
You are surrounded by beauty. Thanks for sharing. In our part of the world the birds seem to be fewer and fewer in number as the years go by, sad to say.
There are nights when I walk between the two homes, and the fireflies are almost hallucinogenic… I stand there and marvel at the beauty and recall chasing fireflies when I was young. Do today’s youth have fireflies to chase?
Sometimes we don’t realize that we’ve lost something until we’re reminded of it. I hope that our world never experiences Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, but with a sense of forboding, I suspect that your recent illustration is on target.
I’m afraid so, too. The ostrich, as BTG suggested, should include many besides just the Congress, sad to say.
The birds are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. It’s wonderful to be caretaking my friends’ property, which is like a beautiful Garden of Eden. So far I’ve not crossed path with any snakes, but wow, the birds, butterflies and botanicals offer a lifetime of subject matter for paintings.
Thanks for the good news of the things that are going on in your life. Please continue with the bird pictures. Blessings to you.
I would call that a sanctuary, too. Really beautiful! I love to watch our little hummingbirds but they are not as colorful as yours. I love their brilliant plumage 🙂
Thanks Barbara, and thanks for your amazing support of my posts. Yes, I often marvel at the difference a ray of sunshine makes on the plumage.. the birds change from generic attire to stunning ones.
Beautiful photos and such colorful birds!
janet
Hey my equestrian friend! Thanks for your support, even when I am silent!
Enjoyed all the photos of such beautiful birds! I should put up my hummingbird feeder where I live in Apple Valley. When I lived at the ranch, if the feeder was empty, they would hover in front of the window until I filled it again.
Hi Janet! Yes, the hummingbirds can be quite demanding and inject humor into the scene when they dart over as if to state, “The service in this bar is the worst we’ve ever experienced! ”
Thanks for responding so quickly. I sure enjoyed our visit when John brought you over. I won’t be coming back til sometime in January this year. Hopefully, my Canadian friend, Shirley will come too.
hey again
yes, i’m like a child at christmas right now to have some internet time that’s not while dining at a restaurant/using the wifi and then dashing away again.
shirley will love seeing your world on the equator, and january will be before you realize it! hope all is ok in your area up there.
We have lots of hummingbirds here in the mountains, and a neighbor has put out so many feeders that the birds are almost a swarm.
Your pictures are wonderful, and I really like the tropical settings. Thanks for sharing
i’ve read your posts, and am so sorry about teh fires but glad you were able to dodge the stress for a short respite… hope to be online again tonight and will catch up and leave a note if possible!
z
What a treat! It’s always a delight to find your posts, but this one’s especially nice. I need to get my feeders out soon. I’ve heard that the hummingbirds are not that far north of us — one more push of air, and they’ll be here.
I watched a video tonight of the cloud forest in Borneo — and the remarkable pitcher plants that live there. It must be wonderful to be living in such an environment for a time. What you have isn’t shabby, to say the least, but the idea of the cloud forests is entrancing.
Did I ever tell you about the man who made and hung little hummingbird feeders from his hat? He got to observe the darlings from about two inches away!
i have several friends that would have caught my ‘look’ if you had been talking to me in person when you mentioned the feeders hanging from the man’s hat. one friend (marie in CR) would have burst out laughing, as she would know that my mind was racing with ideas that were fueled by the ‘hat’ concept. oh my, i will have to pin that one to the cork board as a must-do project!
many people int he cloud forest use chicken watering containers for the hummingbird feeders. they only cost a few dollars and provide an easy perch for the birds!
Absolutely stunning photos
thanks.. sometimes those photos help us see the birds so much more clearly… i’m very lucky to have such amazing subject matter…. the biggest problem is that i take so many photos, and there are few ‘deletes..’ i will never run out of reference material!
Terry and I just finished listening to your video and looking at your post over and over again. The birds are beautiful! 🙂
you two are so great, and i love hearing/reading about your travels. you squeeze the most out of each day and surely inspire others to do the same.
so glad you enjoyed the birds and fun little song!
Such gorgeous colours. No wonder your art feels so uplifting!
about the time you left this comment, i was telling barb about how much i enjoy your posts, and what a great writer and teacher you are…. you’d best start editing that encyclopedia and getting it ready to publish!!!
thanks, otto!