battle

today, the hummingbirds buzzed me in the yard incessantly, as if to say, hey lady, i'm hungry!  these days, i know them: i can hear them buzzing, i have my ears tuned to them.  so i knew the exact moment when they emptied their feeder...and it all happened in one short day, with the help of some busily squawking hungry orioles.  luckily, i was prepared.  i grabbed the feeder from it's branch, under the watch of some hopeful onlookers.  went to the fridge.  a funnel and a mason jar full of prepared nectar later, the feeder was full.  i hung it in the tree, and got distracted by some weeding, relentless morning glory, climbing everything it could grab.  weeding away, i pulled hard and fell on my ass. sitting there, in the bushes, what ensued was a remarkable hummingbird battle.  as the birds vied for position, i held my breath, closing my eyes when their trysts came so close to my face i feared collision. i watched them, seven or so, closer than ever, closer than i'd ever been, miniscule feathers individually reflecting the sun, hearts beating, breathing hard, seeing their eyes seeing me, a moment of recognition.  it was awesome.