My aunt's hummingbirds

Photo by Wayne Pridemore

By Vicki Westberg

The hummingbird is one of my favorite birds. If it didn't exist no one would believe it could. Must share an intimate experience I had over on the Olympic Peninsula on my Aunt's porch. 

She has since passed away, but I used to enjoy visiting her in the 1990's, providing transportation to family events over there, and taking her on trips.

She was a gardener and had a flowering vine on the sunny end of the long porch of her double-wide prefab house that the hummingbirds frequented. 

She also maintained a hummingbird feeder. She could sit out there and enjoy them and the cool air.

Photo by Wayne Pridemore

She told me that at some point in the fall a hummingbird would always come and hover very near her and that was his way of thanking her and saying they would be back next year. 

And then they would disappear and she would not see them again until the next spring.

I thought "Well that's a nice story." But one afternoon in the fall we were sitting out there together and a hummingbird actually did come and hover in front of us, facing us for about maybe 25 seconds.

Doesn't sound like a long time, but when you're experiencing it it is significant.

They did not appear again till the next spring just as she had predicted.

My aunt is gone now but I have many fond memories of her. I transplanted part of her honeysuckle bush as well as the clematis vine to have as family "heirlooms". The vine didn't survive, but the honeysuckle which my hummingbirds also love is thriving.