On my Facebook page, I have attempted to convey the sheer numbers of hummingbirds that visit the three feeders my mother set out (and that I refill) with words. While that is nice for the imagination, words just don’t convey what I see every weekend morning at 7AM, right on the dot (hummingbirds are – apparently – very punctual little creatures). So below are images I took this morning (9/29/2013) of each of the feeders at a little after 7AM.
This is the most popular feeder (for whatever reason). I counted 16 hummingbirds in this one image. There were so many fighting for a place at the feeding holes that they gently rocked the feeder back and forth with the force of their landing, perching, getting knocked off of, and/or colliding with, the feeder in a frenetic attempt to get in a sip or two before being chased away.
I counted 10 birds at this 2nd-most popular feeder . You must look carefully in order to find that bit of tail, wing, or head indicating the presence of a hummingbird to add your count.
I counted 8 hummingbirds in this image. And while I won’t call this the least-popular feeder, it is the less-visited of the three feeders. There are an inordinate number of bugs at this spot, which can be a bother, or – if the bug is small enough – an extra bit of protein for the little hummer, since hummingbirds feed on small insects and spiders in addition to nectar.
The air was thick with the sound of humming – because there were so many birdies zipping back and forth, the decibel level of the humming noise had increased, I kid you not. Hummingbirds would zip past me, sometimes less than a foot away from me. A few hovered near me to check me out, but upon deciding I was not nectar-worthy, they would fly away.
Of course, I witnessed more of what I jokingly call “corporate behavior”. These little “pecks” and “feather pulling” to the head were so quick, and yet to a 3.5-inch hummingbird (yes, that is how tall a ruby-throated hummingbird measures), those little pecks and pulls might have hurt just a little. I dunno. I *did* think it was funny to see so many hummers visiting the feeders that showed off spots of ruffled-up feathers on their heads and backs.
Most of the hummingbird photos you have seen on these blog posts are for sale as prints on my website (just click on one of the photos to get to the hummingbird gallery). I’ve also created a couple of hummingbird calendars for sale on my zazzle storefront (just click on one of the calendar images on the left column of the screen) as well as a number of neat book options (writing journals, address books, and 2014 weekly planners) – just click on the icons for those books on the left column of the screen.
Where The Trails Take You Photography 