Sunday, August 16, 2009

A Successful Breeding Season Brings More Hummers

After the ruby-throateds returned to our area in the spring, we had about 4 or 5 little birds at the feeders on the front porch. Suddenly about 4 weeks ago the activity picked up - by about a dozen more birds! It has to be that the juveniles came off the nest, and it was certainly a successful breeding season. This video is indicative of the activity, from dawn until dusk, daily. Even the people who walk the neighborhood point as they go by. We're refilling the feeders several times a day. Terrie has lived here longer than I have and she says she has never seen anything like this. It's fantastic! As you can see, they don't care which style of feeder and they even share! We have seen instances of two birds, one hovering over the other, feeding from the same feeding tube simultaneously. Luckily I have a supply of feeders, so I just keep adding more. We'll have to put out bigger ones now that we will be going to weekend art shows again.

Hummingbird fact for today: When nectar is plentiful, a hummingbird's daily urine output may exceed 80 percent of its body weight.