"Woohoo for National Hummingbird Day!" hoots our little feathered friend, a juvenile male Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Look at that beautiful start to his gorget, and no doubt he will someday sport a beautiful full ruby throat to help him attract a mate as well as defend his territory . . .

"Our conductor for today is Li'l Miss Ruby, and before she heads south for her winter residency in South America, she graciously agreed to lead our flowers in beautiful arrangements of In The Garden and Flight of the Bumblebee. Enjoy!" Ah one, Ah two, Ah three . . .

A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird flits by and hovers face-to-face for a couple of seconds, as if to be saying, "Oh yeah, I put the ruby in the Ruby-throated my friend!" and then continues on with his business.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are becoming more active as August is here, and the days getting shorter, and they start getting ready for their big trip south. This female ruby gave me the side-eye last evening while darting among the flowers . . .

A male Ruby-throated dropped by for a quick visit, and it was good to see our old friend again. Maybe next time he will turn and face head-on so we can catch a glimpse of that glorious throat of his . . .

Look who's put on a little weight (okay, perhaps more than a little weight) in preparation for the big trip south. Captured this ruby-throated yesterday, and truly appreciate each day we get with them before they migrate. Hummingbirds will gain 25% to 40% of their body weight before they migrate; if larger birds gained that much weight, they wouldn't be able to take off!