Photo Description We get the biggest kick seeing them on the wire that holds their feeder here, especially when one gets in a funny position, like this female hummingbird on top, she's up too high on the wire, but she's found a way being almost upside down to share with her sister, hehe.
We call these two, the Bibs sisters, because they both have like a red bib on their necks, actually their throats, and it's adorable how they'll sit at a feeder together, and in this picture they'll even drink together from the same hanging feeder. They're female Anna's.
Photo Location
This picture was taken in our backyard in Las Vegas.
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I've never seen a pair drinking like this before! It's awful smart, isn't it? No bumping into each other and no flapping smacks :D This is such a great capture!
Hi Attosa,
Isn't that funny of them. :) Here's what's 'off' with more than one hummingbird eating from the same feeder-according to what I've read, but not seen in person. Of all the birds, hummingbirds are soooo territorial it's unreal. They'll 'normally' chase off any other hummingbird and protect an area of up to a quarter of a mile square. Yet, these hummingbirds over the years seem to be pretty friendly towards each other and us too which seems very different to us, because it's not what we've read.
They (by nature) as "they say" don't want any other hummingbird within sight, which isn't what we've seen.
Usually a hummingbird wants ALL the feeders to themselves, but for some reason, we've seen the hummingbirds for years share like they're all the best of buddies, hehe We've got many species that have been here for quite awhile and they usually all get along great. Every now and then - they get as we say (chapped bottoms) haha and they'll be on the rampage not wanting to share the feeders, but that's only during the mating season, then the strongest of the strongest hummer will chase everyone out of the yard, and only a few select females remain, sitting on the tips of branches watching "the show" * that I've watched many times too* which is the male will fly up 50 to 100 feet into the air, then swoops down like a rocket to the ground, then he pulls up at the last second, (not hitting the ground which their dive bombs looks like he will hit the ground as fast as he flies downwards) and "in hummingbird world" that is super dooper strength to the females that the male can fly with such precision like that.
And what I've seen over the years also is, when the weather is getting rough, like windy or even the threat of rain, which this day the picture above was taken it was sprinkling outside, then they really get sharing that feeder, and they'll share with up to 5 hummingbirds at the same feeder.
We laugh and say they're on a Ferris wheel by the way they'll all be rotating around "one single feeder" allowing each one to take a drink, then the next and next. And they'll do that for quite a while too-that rotation thing.
And for some reason, with all the feeders we've got hanging from the trees and eaves of the house in the backyard, they still just want this little tiny 4oz feeder, as though it's the only one. I don't
And thank you, I'm glad you like the photo! :)
Such great imagery you paint with your words, Suz!! Now I too am wondering why they like this feeder the best. I wonder what it is. Maybe it's the placement? I did not know they were so territorial. Your home is so warm and comforting to them, they just become super lovey dovey :D
Thank you Attosa:)
You might be right about the placement...I've wondered that myself too. That little feeder is right in the window about 3-4 feet from where we sit (hubby and I) while we play table games every day.
And oh, the territorial instinct in them is fierce, but it doesn't seem as much with these guys, (except) haha the "Blackchinned hummingbirds", and now they're the ones that want it all! hahha
This is something remarkable to us. The Blackchins fly every year to South America, we've only had 3 of them in our yard with consistency, because they can't tolerate the cold even here, and they stay in South America about 6 months (while it's winter here). Then they fly back to "North America" in late March and early April.
We were wondering if the 3 Blackchinned hummingbirds we've seen every year for a few years now would make it, that long flight they do to South America, as we always feel a bit sad when they leave here in Sept.
Well, last week, number 3 flew in of the (Blackchinned hummers) and came back home! We have again all three of them. We call them the Tuxes, because they're black and white, like they're dressed wearing a Tuxedo (sort of), but they're very distinctive from the rest of the hummingbirds.
It's been 6 months, and to have the 3 of them back here eating, is like incredible that they flew all those miles south, then made it all the way back home (here again) and without GPS, haha all looking healthy and happy too! It's really amazing how they do.
I'll have to get a picture of the Tux, (the Tuxies) as we call them,
and they're super tiny birds too, smaller than the other hummingbirds, but memories like I can't even believe to do that :)
I'd love to see the tuxies!! Curious if you ever make videos of these little guys?? I just looked up some YouTube videos of hummingbirds as Dad was curious how many wing rotations they have per second. Amazing stuff!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Attosa,
This year, I've not gotten any good pictures of them (yet). It's so funny, they're on the war path big time! haha They'd come back and saw so many other hummingbirds here since they've been gone, that they're now trying to get the others out of the yard.
We've got some other adorable new ones too, the Costas they're called. This was from 3 weeks ago, a little baby Costa's hummer, and now (today) which is 3 weeks later, his beautiful purple is filled in.
I've put the pictures side-by-side of the Costa's hummingbird, when Rico we call him, was just a baby on the left, and now today which is the picture on the right, which he's now all filled in with his pretty purple feathers. Not a great pic of "today's picture" because he's being chased too much by the Tuxies, hehe
Hi Attosa,
I don't know what happened, ooops, but my reply went into comments, and not below your comment here.
Here's one video, there's others on here too. Silly stuff it will seem like, haha
This is one of my utube accts that I share stuff with my sister on, and here's some of the sweet little rascals having fun.
www.youtube.com/
If you see that "patched up" feeder in one of the videos, where the hummingbird is on my finger, it's like that all *patched up* because I'd dropped their feeder, and these little feeders are so flimsy, they break instantly, but I did a "patch job" on it, so the hummers wouldn't be without that particular one until the new ones arrived. I know, hahah I'm as silly as they are when it comes to them. They're really like my little sweeties, I love them so much.
This isn't my video, it's a *Nature video* of the Costa's Hummingbird, which is the name of this particular species.
It's the hummingbird with the purple feathers on his head that we have in our yard also.
He's doing his best to impress the female, and this *Nature* video
is hilarious showing how they flash those purple feathers in front of her. And the music makes it pretty funny too!
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