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My Suburban Birds

Christian Ifi

For years my mother would tend to her hummingbird feeders almost every day. She would make her own nectar twice a week (never store bought nectar) and meticulously clean out the feeders if they were ever too dirty or nectar was old. She would also remodel our garden to put in flowers that hummingbirds would love.

For a while I never understood why she would take so much care and take all that time for some birds I have never seen before. When I started university and my environmental degree I started to sit outside more and look at nature. The first time I saw a hummingbird I couldn’t believe how small and fast they were, and noisy! I thought they would make a quiet, humming noise like their name would imply, nope! They sometimes chirp to announce their arrival and chirp and chase away other birds around their feeder.

Recently I have spent more time sitting and watching for them, sitting perfectly still so they would not be scared off. Unfortunately I have never caught any pictures of them since they scare so easily. It has become almost a ritual whenever I need to clear my head by sitting outside and watching for birds. I now understand why my mother became enamored by these unique little birds.