Heather

Activity 3: A true novice, I have begun trying to identify the birds that visit my yard armed with the Merlin app and a pair of binoculars. I was rewarded almost immediately by seeing what the tiny hummingbirds (think they are Allen or Rufous) were up to in the early morning. I don't have hummingbird feeders, but many fruit trees. I could see the hummingbirds zipping around and perched on top of the uppermost branches, but I was charmed to discover another behavior. They were not just sitting on my apple tree, but were bathing in the dew on the leaves, quickly rolling around several times before flying off. It was a delight to observe their behavior.