I was fortunate to have had some close encounters with hummingbirds this summer.  They are my favorite summer birds.  The bright red flowers of the scarlet runner beans and the calibrachoa were the favorite feeding spots in my yard.

The best surprise encounter came on my trip to the Saskatchewan River Crossing area.  I ventured out to a ridge to take in the view of a valley.  My bright pink shirt must have made me look like a flower because the moment that I stopped walking, a hummer came to within two feet of me and hovered until it realized that there was going to be no food involved.  

I did not pay much attention to the birds in the local ponds until a couple of years ago.  Since that time, I've kept a list of the birds observed each year and managed to add a new species each season.  This summer I added the Greater Yellowlegs to the list.  

I hiked by a small, out of the way pond at the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Recreation Area and noticed a pair of them standing on a log.  They watched me as I slowly made my way to the water's edge.  What a treat to watch them in action; dipping their bills beneath the water for food.  

The usual feathered visitors have been in the yard; chickadees, nuthatches, gold finches, a variety of woodpeckers, robins and magpies.  I spotted a pair of little house wrens looking for a place to nest.  They worked very hard at trying to remove the paper from a wasp nest that blocked the opening of an old birdhouse.  It was very amusing to watch their antics.


My binoculars now take up space in my camera bag.  They have come in very handy on my outings and in the backyard.  I cannot ID new birds by their call and I have to pour through the pages of a bird book to try and identify them but they sure kept me entertained.