If you are not a birder you are probably thinking, "Why doesn't Allen come get it? What is his bird doing in your back yard?". Those are valid questions. It is a bit more complicated than that. The man who got his name attached to this bird is long gone. The Allen's Hummingbird is usually found along the coastline of California and Mexico. Some stray to the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. This one strayed to the backyard of the Pogues' in Rockport, Texas. It is still filling out it's summer colors. We hope it will stay awhile longer, but could leave at any time. Early Sunday morning we had three visitors come to the yard. They were from New York! Now that is what I call rare birds! They wanted to see Allen's and they were lucky enough to do so.
Driving home from Goliad Saturday, near Holiday Beach, cars were lining the highway. Out in an open field were three Whooping Cranes. I got a good pic of them. Talk about rare birds! There are less than a thousand in the world. Maybe even under five hundred.
Will the Allen's come again to our yard? Probably not. That's okay. We have provided it with it's basic need in a cold winter in South Texas. With few blooming flowers it probably could not have survived without the sugar water furnished. He won't send a "thank you" note or tell us goodbye. That does not matter for we gave a little help in time of need.
The world is almost overwhelmed with people in need; not just for a place to live, but for basics like food and water. We can help a little though many miles away. There will be no "thank you" notes from those folks. That doesn't matter. "When you give to the needy do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:3-4
