A Little Friend Returns For The Winter

little hummingbird

I would like to introduce you to one of the littlest residents of Double S Farms.

He is what we call a ‘snowbird’.  Now, where we live, a snowbird is a seasonal resident , usually human, who lives in the desert during the winter months.

However, this particular snowbird is a little hummingbird.

little hummingbird

I first met him when I was taking pictures of the citrus trees for a future blog post.  I was quite close when I noticed him sitting in the lemon tree.  Unlike many hummingbirds, he was perfectly content to sit still and have his picture taken.

little hummingbird

little hummingbird

On another visit to Double S Farms, I saw him perched at the top of the Almond tree. 

little hummingbird

This is his favorite place to perch, probably because the Almond tree is the tallest tree and he can see the surrounding farms all around him.

little hummingbird

Although Costa’s Hummingbirds are year-round residents in our area, this particular one left for the summer, but came back in the fall.

Now every time I visit Double S Farms, I go out of my way to look for my little friend. 

*On another note, I will soon be introducing you to “The Refuge” and it’s garden, surrounding beauty and the residents.

Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
25 replies
  1. Martha Z
    Martha Z says:

    I love to watch the hummers and they seem the least shy of the birds in my garden. I once had one flutter in front of me, flashing his gorget. There was a female nearby that was the the true object of his intentions 🙂

  2. JP
    JP says:

    I can never catch a a hummingbird either, but I once had one in the house and it was traumatic for both of us (everyone survived!)

  3. sweet bay
    sweet bay says:

    Love the picture of the hummingibrd sitting in the lemon tree and the last shot, where the wonderful irridescence of the feathers really shows up.

  4. Kathleen
    Kathleen says:

    I think you're so lucky to have him as the littlest resident of Double S farm Noelle. I would look for him every time I was there too. We only have hummingbirds for two months in our garden in Colorado ~ much too short a time span.

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