Home with Hummingbirds

When I first moved to California, I was captivated by all of the wonderfully different aspects of life in the Golden State compared to my previous existence on the East Coast.  I first lived on the Central Coast, near the hills of gold of Montana de Oro, where the undulating hills reached down to the rugged and rocky coastline of the Pacific Ocean.  I lived quite near the ocean, and yet I was also less than half an hour from the wonderful wine country of Paso Robles.  And while I lived in a small town, the plentiful produce from the year-round farmer's market also amazed me.

Among the unexpected pleasures of my new life in California were the regular visits of hummingbirds to the large bottlebrush tree in the backyard of the house I rented.  Before then, I had only seen a hummingbird once before, in Arizona, when I took a break on a business trip to visit a Desert Museum.  And now, they were regular visitors to my backyard.

Now, I live in Berkeley, but I am lucky enough to have hummingbirds visiting my yard, especially since I replanted an area with salvia bushes.  When the bushes are in full bloom, we even have hummingbirds fighting over the nectar.  I still find myself captivated by the movements and the aerial dynamics of these diminutive birds.