This is our backyard guy. He’s a Ruby-throated hummingbird which are quite common in the Eastern US. I couldn’t believe he let me stand this close to the feeder and take photos. After doing some research though, apparently this type gets comfortable with humans pretty quickly. And they get quite defensive of their feeder. When he comes to feed, he chirps which is really cute. I had no idea they made noise. It’s not meant to be cute though, it’s a warning to others to stay away from his food. They are very territorial and are known to charge other hummingbirds and poke them with their beaks to keep them away. And this guy doesn't hesitate in the defense department, he's quick to run off all who might want to sample his food.
We’ve got one of those deck rail clamps to hang the feeder. On the other side it holds a hanging plant. In one of the photos he’s sitting on the other end. This is the first time I’ve seen one just land and sit somewhere. Not that it’s special by any means, it’s just that I’ve never had time to watch them before. Every evening around 8:30 he shows up and sits there. It’s like he’s on guard for the night. He's amazingly protective of his food source.
We're thoroughly enjoying this little guy. If you have hummingbirds in your yard, I'd love to know what kind. Feel free to share!
I love humming birds. We haven't had them in our yard here in NY but we used to get quite a few around our feeders when we lived in San Diego. They are amazing to watch - how cool you got so close to get such great shots.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deb. It was fun!
ReplyDeleteMy feeder died of sun-rot last fall, and I've yet to replace it. I sure would like to get one I could hang off the deck though, and one that wouldn't blow around in the wind and drip everywhere. Still keeping my eye out for the right one. I love hummingbirds--at our house "in the sticks" we had tons of them. The funniest thing to watch was when they'd perch on the wire for the electric fence. Pretty cool.
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