Return of Tinkerbell

After all of the flowering trees of springtime have finished their annual display, I know the hummingbirds are due to return. Every year, around the end of April, they faithfully return to my feeders to amuse and entertain. They never fail to bring a smile and a reverence for their incredible presence. I often wonder if the birds that come to my feeders each year are different or if the same birds ever return. I sometimes see several near the feeders at the same time so there are many feeding in the neighborhood.

Last year, I entered several posts to this blog about  Tinkerbell, which is my favorite name for these little creatures because of their obvious resemblance to Peter Pan's pixie playmate. The quick darting about and powerful wings shown in the Disney animation remind me of hummingbirds. I call all of them Tinkerbell even though I see three or four at the same time. They just won't wear name tags.

Last summer, I had several up close and personal encounters with them that were awesome. I had reached for the feeder to refill it when I heard a very distinctive sound which I suspected was Tink returning to feed. I froze and watched as the hummingbird danced about in front of my face checking on me. When I didn't move, the bird moved to the feeder to continue feeding and ignored me. It is an incredibly, pleasing experience to have an opportunity to get so close to one. I haven't tried to hand feed them, nor do I require that in my experiences. I'm content to watch and marvel.