Saw our first hummingbird perch and drink from the kitchen window feeder at 1:56 this afternoon.  The feeders have been out for two weeks as citizen observers have reported sightings only 60 miles south of us and many other sightings posted at latitudes north of us.  This bird was well-nourished, not the typical skinny hungry first hummingbirds that show up wearily at the feeders.

Today's weather was crazy.  It was more "in like a lion" March weather than April weather. We had wind gusts of 22 mph followed by dark clouds and bands of rain, then five minutes of sun before another burst of rain and wind hit.  There are freeze watches and warnings for higher elevations the next couple of nights.

Birds are checking out real estate for nesting.

When I'm down in the garden, I get to watch the Carolina chickadees going in and out of this house. They have a conversation while jumping from branch to branch before going inside.

Instead of buying nesting material for the birds, I stuffed cotton balls, string, jute, leaves and twigs, and strips of fabric in a suet holder and hung it in a tree near my garden.

It looks like this today.  So I filled another holder with nesting materials and hung it on the back porch hoping to watch the birds pull strings and cotton for their nests.  I got the idea from our yoga instructor.  She sits on her porch watching her birds rip and shred the nesting materials then fly off to weave them into their nests.   Right after I hung the new holder, a chickadee landed thinking it was suet but was disappointed to find a mouthful of cotton instead of suet and seed.