Jul 26 2008
Hummer update
The birds seem to disappear around the 4th of July, but today they put on a great show for us. Like usual, when I was ready with a camera, they did not want to be seen. I did manage to get a couple of shots but they’re not exactly postcard quality.
The show was a territorial fight between a male Anna’s and anything else that got close to the feeders. It wasn’t about to be bullied by a male Rufous when it appeared. The Rufous and Anna’s went beak to beak. Usually the smaller, more agile Rufous wins in an aerial dogfight, but the Anna’s did not budge from its watchtower. It just sat there while the Rufous buzzed around it.
The above picture is the Anna’s in his watchtower. The top picture is a bird that slipped in on a fuchsia while the Anna’s was distracted. Just outside of the window, the flowers are in a good position for another shot. I am going to try for a better shot of a bird at them.
The little birds look “cute” when they are fighting, but I don’t think that they are trying to be that way. It’s survival of the fittest for them.
Keith,
I didn’t realize you had an interest in hummingbirds. I’ve always had an interest in them. When I was young we had four or five feeders around our house. I spent enough time around the birds in the summer that I was able to get them to land on my finger while they were feeding. It was amazing.
Tim D.
By the way, nice website……
Hi Tim,
Thanks for looking around.
Keith