Baltimore Oriole in Austin

There was quite the buzz around the house this morning when I got a couple glimpses of this guy at the feeder.

Yeah, I know. The picture quality is sasquatch-esqe, but my little, point-and-shoot telephoto was maxed out. After a little research, I found out that the Baltimore Oriole migrates through Texas in August-September. However, Austin would be on the westernmost edge of the flight path, so having this guy come visit was a real treat.
Hope he ate some squash vine borer moths on his way through....

Hummingbirds!

I've been lazy this summer not putting out the hummingbird feeder sooner. We just don't get hummingbirds here in Austin as much as they do in Southern California. And with the heat, the sparrows come and drink the 'moat' water and let the ants take over. That or the squirrels discover they like hummingbird food! (still looking for a shot of that from last year)
But I finally boiled my sugar water (1 part white table sugar, 4 parts water) and put some feed out. I hadn't seen any hummingbirds this summer so I wasn't sure if they'd find the feeder in my backyard. But a couple mornings later, my feeder was visited by a male ruby-throated hummingbird. The color on the throat was iridescent and striking. I ran to get my camera, but he was gone before I returned.

Fortunately, soon after came a couple of female hummingbirds that I did manage to catch on proverbial film. Here's a shot from the morning hours:

Here's a shot from the evening hours: