Fire Next Door: Fixing the Damage Day 3, Done for Now?

I haven't noticed any work going on across the street since yesterday afternoon. If that means the job's done for them, fixing up after the fire: good news.

So, I've swung the webcam back, to look at the hummingbird feeder, bird bath, and part of the corner of South Ash Street and 9th.

Hummingbird Feeder's Out

A few minutes ago I re-filled the birdbath - 2/3 of it, with #1 daughter taking care of the last third - and set out the hummingbird feeder.

I'm getting that feeder out a little late this year - but I trust that the hummers will find it. The question is, how long will that take?

Small Town America Neighborhood Streets, Yards: and now a Birdbath

My son and I set up a birdbath near the webcam, a few minutes ago. I trust that birds will find it.

New Season, New Feeding Gadget

Or, winterizing the bird feeder.

Since there's been no activity at the feeder since I last filled it - apart from a few insects and a curious chickadee - I'm assuming that the last of the hummingbirds have headed south. They'll be welcome back, in May.

This afternoon I walked to the hardware store and got a sort of tray/cage arrangement and a cake of birdseed and sugar to put in it. It's a sort of trail mix for finches, apparently.

The cage's hook was too small for my feeder pole, but a minute or two with a needle-nose pliers took care of that.

Now, it's a matter of waiting for birds to find the thing.

This is the first year I've tried this. It should be interesting.

Hummingbirds, Chicadees, and Seasons

I'd been wondering why I haven't seen any hummingbirds at the feeder this week. Particularly since just a couple weeks ago, they'd been taking an unusual amount of nectar.

This may be the answer: "Ruby-throats arrive in May and leave in September." ("Hummingbird Migration," The Hummingbird Website)

No wonder I haven't seen any - looks like they fueled up and headed south.

On the other hand, I saw a chickadee perch on the feeder's pole this morning. It's a rare winter when the chickadees leave Minnesota. But it's been known to happen.

Oriole!

Not long ago, I noticed a bird on the webcam monitor: more than twice the size of the hummingbirds I've seen here in central Minnesota. Taking a careful look out the window, I saw a dark-backed bird with orangish stripes on its wings. I'm no expert, but I think it's an oriole. Baltimore oriole, most likely.

That's the first one I've seen at the feeder.

New Hummingbird Feeder, and a Birdhouse

I picked up a new hummingbird feeder late this afternoon. The one you see in the webcam photo is photogenic, but I realized that the enclosed space in the bottom will be hard to clean.

Besides, the current model doesn't have a perch for the hummers. I read that, although hummingbirds can feed 'on the fly,' they benefit from having perches.

Down side, they'll probably feed more efficiently and spend less time at the feeder.

Up side, I'll have the warm, fuzzy feeling of having helped hummingbirds conserve energy.

I'd gone to Wal-Mart to see what sort of easy-to-plant post they might have for a bird feeder my wife pointed out to me. Didn't find a post - but I'll be taking another look at the bird feeder tomorrow.

Small Town America: Minnesota Arrives

This blog's purpose, right now, is to give people who watch one of my webcams a chance to talk back.

So: If you've got something to say about Sauk Centre's first view-on-the-street webcam, the Ash Street Project (heading my way), Sauk Centre, or a related topic, Feel free.

That webcam gives a new photo every minute, by the way, and I'm hoping for hummingbirds later this month.