Bird Brain

I still have birds on the brain...  I haven't been able to get great pictures of all the great birds we have in the yard.  But I did get this picture last week of the swallows right before they left the nest.

They are darn cute, but they make the biggest mess.  The day after I took this picture, they all flew out of the nest and followed their parents around the yard.  That was about a week ago, and I still think they are hanging around the yard, but they don't really use the nest. 

But in this last week, I have also seen some Scissortail Flycatchers.  If they really do eat insects, they are more than welcome in my yard. 

I see them frequently, and wonder if maybe they have a nest in one of the Hawthorne trees in the front yard...

But, by far, the most exciting bird I have seen --

THE HUMMINGBIRD!  I was so thrilled to see one on the back porch!  It was fluttering around all the purple petunias, and I probably watched it for 15 minutes or so.  Of course, my hummingbird feeders are empty, and it is a two person job to refill them....  Who would have guessed?  The hottest day of the year, and I see a hummingbird on my back porch.