Welcome Home, Hummer

I saw my first hummingbird today at my window where I keep my feeder.  Archilochus colubris , a female ruby-throated hummer flew up and down the window searching for the feeder she knew had been there last fall.  Luckily I had already washed the feeder and I just had to mix up some nectar - 4 parts boiled  water (and cooled, of course)  to 1 part sugar, as the experts recommend.  I have heard some people say that they  mix a more sugary solution, but that is not recommended, as 4 to 1 more approximates the natural nectar in flowers.  It is possible the sweeter mix could do harm to them.

I caught the little ruby-throated female  through my window drinking.  Sorry for the quality, but I haven't had the chance to set up for better shots.
It is always exciting to see the first arrival after its long and hazardous trip north over the Gulf of Mexico and then up from Florida to North Carolina.  I felt as happy as I would be to welcome a good friend after a long perilous journey.

It is amazing how a little bird can manage such a long trip - in the case of here, close to 15 hundred miles.
Actually she could be a traveler who will stick around here to rest up and get nourishment for her trip farther north.  I understand hummers have regular stops on their journeys south and then back north.  I will never know, but I am happy to feed all sojourners.