WESTERN HUMMINGBIRDS VOL.7

Western Hummingbirds Vol. 7,
this is a continuation linked back to here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1041329/

There are wonderful pictures of these jewels in flight in the past threads,
great to explore and grateful for their activity.

This Anna male ruled the arbor and allowed me to get almost underneath him
as he searched the skies for his conquests, his adversaries, his kin and
his passion (ok sounds like a cheap romance novel)
I wasn't any concern for him, most times he lifts himself and circles till I pass.
I have two feeders up and I think he is keeping an eye out on both of them from
this vantage point.

edit-bad grammar, what's new.
. edit-bad spelling, I misspelled 'grammer' LOL.
now that's funny.

This message was edited Oct 25, 2009 9:34 PM

This message was edited Oct 25, 2009 9:50 PM

Nice pic dirt! Thanks for starting the new thread!

putting the eye on me.

Your welcome Pelle.

Anna female on her perch on the pine.
Its cold and rainy now, better bundle up.
Can't help to think of the young birds who
haven't gone through the winter what they
may be thinking since this summer was one
of the driest and warm in recent time.
I know the regular bird feeder was very
active today.

wonderful pictures dirt, I love pictures of hummingbirds.

Thank you Meickle,
We have these Anna's year round. At times I think some
'know' us and are use to us being around. They are
curious and will investigate to their satisfaction.
This female has been around for a couple of years,
she has the white plume on the side and likes that pine tree.
Never saw a nest but only half-heartedly looked.

My photography skills and equipment can't hold a
candle to Duc's and several others who post here,
hopefullly I'll be lucky to get some better shots.

Great start on this new thread dirt! I know exactly what you mean about your first male "ruler". I have one here too and he's managed to keep his feeder to himself since early spring. That mean "look" they have would scare off any young or old bird.

This young man is sure growing up and getting lots of color.

This little one loved showing off for me.

I hate it when I think I've gotten a really good picture and later find that part of the bird was in the shade!

I know that is frustrating duc! The first male is gorgeous!

oh boy, I'm envious. I would love to be able to have lots of hummingbirds around my house. We only get a few around here in town. My aunt gets all sorts of them and has 5 feeders. I have only had one come to my garden, it especially liked my zinnias.

You know Duc and you too Pelle,
your worst picture is as good as my best.
Very nice young male. great job.
Maybe tonight, for a few moments, I get,
u know,
equipment envy.
But I'll get over it as long as I get to see yours and
all of other great photographers on this site.

Sitting on top of 'my' world.

I'm sipping in the rain, just sipping in the rain.............

Adel,
Got me singing that outside
this morning, wet & cloudy

stretch

let me get within 6 feet this morning.

and a little closer before spotting another
and gone

Great job dirt! The closer you stand to them, the more used to you they'll get. I usually stand 4 to 5 ft. away from mine and if they fly off because I've moved too fast, they'll be back shortly.

Adel, great rain photo too!

We just have the heavy wind and cold here this morning-send some rain south please!! This is the windblown look I got.

This younger one was almost too close to me, but wasn't a bit afraid of the flash on my camera.

This one was watching the big rush for the early morning feeder spot.

I don't think it liked the flash disturbing it.

This guy is really starting to get more color.

This mornings rush at one feeder.

Love the rush! Great shots duc!

Anna watch,

again,
That rush would be fun to have here,
other hummers enter and this
guy chases, but never in numbers
Duc has or others on the other hummer
threads.

in the jungle the mighty jungle...........

Hey dirt, your Mr. Grumpy looks like he's getting more and more red colored feathers. Sure looks awfully young to be so dominating. My guy is much older. Do you have more feeders in other areas that he can't get to easily? He sure is a cutie.

This guy was waiting for his turn at the feeder.

I think this photo shows the fast reaction time a hummer has when it either hears the click of the camera or when the flash goes off. This bird was sitting straight up when I first clicked the button. Wish I could react as fast.

Hi Duc, you know, I haven't seen the old fella
for a long time.
In fact not since the rufous departed.
I know this is young but he's
the one right now that dominates. Maybe I'm
just a minor part of the old guys 'kingdom'--
there may be other places nearby that have finer
habitats and environment. Lots of people feed these guys.

This year the folks from the large high tower
power line that goes over most of this property
cut down almost every tree under it, unlike before
where you were allowed a few and shorter. They
said in the next year or two they will turn up the juice and
deliver higher volts-- which I thought they had max-ed.
I know this disrupted birds and wildlife and did some work early
in the summer and just a few weeks ago when I was gone and
again when they decided to take out 3 big cedar stands here
and a tall fir next door last week.
I'll keep an eye out for the brightly lit full mature guys--
to this ones credit-- he does have a raspy loud call,
more so than the really young ones who are tinny and
high pitch. He's the one that ignores me and maybe the mature guy
stays clear but naw, I would be able to see hisfull red flash and recognize a mature one.
Interesting though, nice observation.
Nice pic of waiting your turn and I'll try a flash setting--never did-- you probably
have those 'hollywood' types that don't mind that-(grin)- I didn't want to disrupt their
routine.
Have a great day.

Wow the shots are just wonderful. I had lots of hummingbirds this Spring and Summer. Not seen any of late. But I'm keeping the feeders in more protected spots. I know they are around the areas.

An Anna's taking shelter in a fir on a gloomy, blustery day.

a_Cat-- looks hunkered down dreaming about the good times.

Hi Judith Anne, Welcome to this little corner of birdland at Dave's.
Just a thought, my cousin tries to attract hummers to her place
by putting a bright red table spread on her picnic table and thinks
that helps the always inquisitive birds to check it out and hopefully
the feeder. This is for rufous but should work
for all. She has had more hummers after doing that.
I have red plates on my regular feeder for the same purpose and
know a stranger shows up when the hummingbird buzzes them and
not their feeders not that far away.

Duc-- I think I figured out some of the mystery
of the 'young' master.
In the last thread around Oct 21 I wrote that
2 males were really engaged with each other
almost all day.
I had the camera out and snapped my usual
set of real bad pics and went back to look
and sure enough there on the clothes line
was the old man-- apparently beat out by
this younger rival.
Apparently it was changing of the guard
around here, or else another bout is in the
works.

As much as this male sits and rules on the arbor
and this wire overlooking a flower garden,
the old man usually was sitting up higher up the hill
on a tall lilac tree that was cut down and a green plum
further down. My camera doesn't have the range to get
good shots (tried but lousy pics, manual focus is too slow)
but was use to him calling from there and
you watch great aerial displays as he swooped down
to the flower garden and how they can see their kind
from that distance is remarkable. Its 80-100 feet away-
I was use to seeing him even further in the berry patch
and marsh area when the rufous dominated.

On the wire wooing a female this guy spotted in the sage and salvia

The young male was looping tirelessly,
and near the bottom of pretty tall sage
was this female looking like she was
hiding from this guy.
She sneaked out after the 2nd aerial display
as he went to one of the feeders to fuel up.
Just another episode of Days of Hummer's Lives.

yesterday's cold and rainy watch.

Morning dirt, I believe I've just experienced the "changing of the guard" here too. Love your "Days of Hummer's Lives", it's so much more interesting than watching soaps on tv. We are constantly laughing at the hummers here doing the same thing.

We just had a very cold and windy couple of days and more hummers arrived, but I'm not seeing them today so they may have moved on.

I'm hoping to end up with about a dozen. So much easier making sugar water every day!