The black-chins are back!

mood: chillaxed
fingernails: silver

Okay, so I intended to start this blog off with more of a cooking/preserving/gardening tack, but today's quiche is an experiment and I saw my first of the year (FOY) black-chinned hummingbird, so that's what you're getting! Well maybe I'll sneak a pseudo-recipe in...

I dabble in photography, but I have to admit to borrowing pretty hummingbird pictures for this post from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology - All About Birds page. Thanks to the original photographers with better cameras and more patience than me!

Here on the west coast, we're lucky enough to have hummingbirds here year-round.  Anna's hummingbirds are our largest, and the males are striking with rose-pink feathers on their heads as well as their throats.  They readily attend feeders, and you can often hear their squeaking songs in your neighborhood.

male Anna's

male black-chinned

But in the spring, we get to double our hummingbird pleasure! Black-chinned hummingbirds are smaller and more aggressive.  The males have a black chin (hence the name), bordered by iridescent purple below. Handsome!  They also make an interesting noise in flight, likened to the sound of a yo-yo string zipping up.  Or something like that.  Listen for it!

We also have a chance of spotting rufous hummingbirds during migration.  Unlike our other two species with green body feathers, rufous live up to their name and sport a bright reddish-orange. Check out this recent Audublog post for more information on where they're showing up!

If you do choose to put up a feeder to attract these beauties, simply use a mixture of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Boiling the water helps to dissolve the sugar and prevent fungal growth. Do not use honey or red food coloring! Most feeders have enough color. And keep those feeders clean!

For a cool opportunity to participate in some citizen science, Hummingbirds @ Home is a new program by the National Audubon Society designed to gather information on flowering times and hummingbird arrival (think climate change!) and the effect that feeders have on the birds.  Download the app and participate!

Oh yea, I promised a recipe. As you'll learn, we have a huge and prosperous tangelo tree in our yard. So I'm constantly trying new ways to utilize the prolific fruit. Today? Tangelo mimosas on the porch, while watching the hummingbird feeder!

Tangelo Mimosa

a glass of your favorite bubbly
a splash of tangelo juice

Pour together into a cute glass. Enjoy.

Super helpful, right?! Recipe inspired by My Drunk Kitchen.