Love is in the air

2 weeks after our first male hummingbirds arrived, we are noticing lots of females around. The ever hopeful Calliope and Broad-tailed males have started dancing, displaying, and dive-bombing the females from 30 to 50 feet in the air. The girls don't seem especially impressed. They are more interested in the feeders this time of year.

Last week a kestrel pair was raising a racket in the junipers on the hillside. The male split his time between courting his mate and chasing off a red-tailed hawk. In contrast, the mountain bluebirds have quietly set up housekeeping in a bird box next to the ranch house porch.