I took this photo yesterday, Sunday October 2, 2011 at Fort Washington State Park. I went to Fort Washington State Park to watch the hawk migration (more about that Wednesday).

It was chilly and rainy. The wind clocked at about 5 mph and it would drizzle and then stop just long enough to make you think it was over. Then the rain would start again.

In front of the Hawk Watching Platform are filled bird feeders. There was quite a bit of activity around the feeders. Many Chickadees, a Tufted Titmouse, Mourning Doves, Cardinals, Screaming Jays,  and a Northern Parula Warbler.

I wondered if I would see hummers and  I watched the hummingbird feeder out of the corner of my eye.  And these two little gems showed up.

They would sip nectar for about five minutes then they would rest deep within the foliage of dense shrubs. I could just see they through the tangle of branches.

After taking photos and watching the hummers for close to an hour, I was ready to go. A father and son walked up near me on the lower level of the observation deck.

The son asked, “Where are the birds for that feeder?” He pointed to the red and yellow hummingbird feeder. He must have known about hummingbirds but didn’t know what to call them. His father answered, “It’s too cold. They probably all migrated, flew away.” Then they turned and walked away.

Less than five minutes later, the hummers returned and began to feed again. This conversation reminded me that our expectations often form our outcomes. If you expect not to see hummers, you won’t.

Keep those feeders filled folks!

Hummingbird Migration Dates for your area.

Recipe for hummingbird nectar