Hummingbirds

[Conrad]

My wife and I were working out in the yard on Sunday when I had an amazing hummingbird experience. Well, it was amazing to my wife and I anyways.

We have lots of flowering plants in the back yard and we get the occasional hummer from time to time. I was standing right next to one of these plants when an emerald hummingbird started to browse the flowers on the plant, less than two feet away from me. I didn't want to move for fear that I would scare it away. I stood there for at least 10 mins watching the bird go from flower to flower. I looked up at my wife and she was watching too. Neither of us moved or said a word, we just watched.

When the bird got it's fill from the flowers it flew up to my face and hovered about 6 inches away from my nose. It hovered there for about 5 mins, just looking at me and then flew off.

Awesome!     

This is pretty much how it looked to me in front of my face.

[sherob]

My Inlaws live in Adamsville, TN.  They have HBird feeders all around the back porch of their house.  They are cool to watch and hear.   

[Conrad]

My wife really loves hummingbirds and she has a couple of feeders set-up for them. We don't get them very often but it's cool when we do. She loves them so much, I wish that the she had this close up experience instead of me. She kept going on and on about how lucky I was. 

[Strawboss]

PBS recently did a show about Hbirds, they run it during their seemingly weekly money campaigns, fascinating.

[VirginiaJim]

The hummingbirds or the weekly appeals for donations?

[Strawboss]

Everyone's a commodian.   PBS, the Hbirds have no opposing thumbs to hold the money, duh.

[sherob]

So, PBS runs the Hbird specials during "money beak"? 

[wally_games]

Earlier this year we had maybe 30 hanging around our house. All were Ruby Throated or Black Chinned. We put out five feeders and keep them stocked all summer. Now we're down to about  6-10. They're so fun to watch as they play and chase after each other. There's always a female or two that just sit on a nearby limb and chase off the others whenever they try to come to the feeder.

[MrPepsi]

Love them.

[Son of Pappy]

Ours have already departed for warmer areas.  Saved one earlier this year, she flew in and wouldn't leave, put a glove on and gently scooped her up, once I had her in my hand she calmed down as if she knew I was trying to help.  Set her on the porch rail and she calmly flew off.  Similar story for a barn swallow, but it didn't want to let go of the glove.

So much cleaner than the Canadian Geese a few years ago, mama, papa, and six goslings   So much fun, worth the effort afterwards

[Conrad]

More hummers in the yard yesterday, at least 5 of them coming and going.

We also had something new yesterday. Hummingbird moths.

Beautiful creatures!

[gPink]

Wow. Never saw those before.

[Ron Dawg]

Our weather has turned cool again and now all of "our" regulars are stoking up for the big flight south. Lots of fun to sit on the deck, drink coffee and watch the dogfights.

[Cuda]

We had a hummingbird feeder but none showed up , we have four feeders lots of regulars but never saw a hummer. 

[Conrad]

Working out in the yard again yesterday. Those female hummers are SO bold!

As Wally_games mentioned, there's one female who sits near the feeder and tries to chase off any other female who comes to feed. One of these refuses to be chased off by the first female and these two have had several midair 'dog fights'. When I say that these birds are bold I mean really bold. I was sitting on the deck enjoying a beer while these two females duke it out in midair less than 5 feet away from me, seemingly oblivious to me. The sound of their wings hitting each other is amazing. More than one of these midair fights ended up on the ground with the two females wrestling each other while rolling around in the grass. Funny stuff!

My dogs were out too and they have no idea what to make of these crazy birds! I'll have my camera out with me today and see if I can get some action shots.

[T Cro ®]

My dogs were out too and they have no idea what to make of these crazy birds! I'll have my camera out with me today and see if I can get some action shots.

Heck I'd be lucky if my dogs noticed goose in the yard much less a hummer! I've watched them either not see or get flat out out smarted by baby bunnies... And they say that Cavaliers are sporting little Spaniels? My arse!

[timsatx]

Hummingbird Aerodynamics- High Speed Video - Smarter Every Day 27

[Conrad]

Great vid Timsatx.

Those are the same female hummers that I have in the back yard.

[wally_games]

Great vid Timsatx.

Those are the same female hummers that I have in the back yard.

It's very hard, if not downright impossible, to tell apart most of the different species of female hummingbirds. Both species of the females that we have look just alike.

[ZG]

female hummers that I have in the back yard.