Hummingbird coming in for a landing on the feeder at Birch Ridge

Hummingbird coming in for a landing on the feeder at Birch Ridge

Part of the enjoyment of living in the mountains of Vermont is all of the "flora and fauna" that abound all around us.

When we moved to the inn, the buildings, since they were previously unoccupied, had been taken over by barn swallows. With all the activity around the inn these days, the barn swallows have retreated, but hummingbirds have stepped in the fill the void.

The gardens Mary has planted around the inn attract hummingbirds in large numbers. You can look in almost any garden and see the small birds darting in an out of the flower beds. We also have a small hummingbird feeder set up on the railing of the front porch of the restaurant. Some nights, you would think that we would need an air traffic controller to direct the hummingbirds into the flight pattern to land on the feeder.

The hummingbirds themselves are quite comical to watch. In addition to darting in and out for position in the flowers and the feeder, if you sit on the front porch you will hear them talking to you. Sometimes they are clearly telling you that you are in their space. Other times they are telling you that the feeder needs to be refilled. But most of the time the hummingbirds just seem to be happy buzzing around enjoying the scenery in their home in the Green Mountains of Vermont....something we all would benefit from if we did it more often.