[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t seems a little early to me, but it appears my hummingbirds have departed for points south. I’ll leave my sugar-water feeders up a few more days, but I’m afraid these little flying jewels are long gone. I hope you are having better luck and that some of you will even have hummers over the winter.
I also have my sunflower seed feeders up and am attracting mostly titmice and Carolina chickadees, but you never know when goldfinches will start arriving, so I also have a thistle seed feeder hanging.
I am told certain birds are much more dominant at feeders than are others. Most dominant are wild turkeys, which is not surprising since they are such big birds. Also dominant are crows, jays, woodpeckers and blackbirds. Less dominant are doves, buntings and grosbeaks.
On a completely different subject, I can report I have a good crop of chile pequin peppers in a pot on my back deck. Bright orange, and about the size of BBs, these little rascals pack quite a punch. I rate them hotter than jalapenos, but not as fiery as Trinidad or ghost peppers.
I have a proposition for readers of my column. For the first ten folks who send me a stamped, self-addressed envelope, I will send you three of my little hot peppers. Send the envelope to Jerry Hall, 750 Cypress Creek Lane, Wimberley, TX and I’ll get the peppers off ASAP.
