a chestnut back chckadee landed
on the feeder and wanted whatever she
had--
unfortunately it didn't like it.
True Resin but I tend to ignore their dimness about beak size when they are such cheeky total thieves. Can't blame a Chick or Dee for tryin ^_^ Dirt I have no idea what I'm looking at but it has exciting potential!
Resin-- What I found fascinating is the mimicking. A total separate species readily trusts another enough to try what one
ate in order to learn another food source. Like watching crows teach their youngings where to hunt, peck and observe.
It would be like those strange food shows on cable and me being hungry readily believes I would try balut. I would hope
I have a short beak.
What I should of done was just announce a strange new hummer and have you lambast and quarter my judgement.(gleefully of course)
Dahlianut- are you speaking of the rhody bush where an Anna hummingbird is hiding in the bottom center or the hind end of the
chickadee who is acting like a hummer? Both have potential. Potentially what is another matter:)
This message was edited Apr 15, 2009 12:51 AM
Difficult to know how much mimicry is involved - chickadees have always been nectar feeders to a moderate extent (e.g. Mahonia is very often pollinated by them), but whether they learnt the idea from hummers in their distant prehistory is anyone's guess.
Resin
Dirt I was talking about the rhodie with the Anna and looking for signs of a nest.
That Chickadee is adorable, even if we can't see its head!!
I don't know much about the chicks, but my hummers have lots of Bullock's and Hooded Orioles who push them out for the sugar water. That's why I found that taking the flower cover off one of the feeding holes would allow the Orioles to get their food faster and then leave so the hummers could again feed.
Has anyone ever seen the different color of blue in their hummers? I think this Anna's might have been a hybrid from it's parents or grandparents.
These pictures were taken in the rain, but I don't know if the rainwater was making the blueish color or not. I've never seen this happen in the thousands of photos I've taken of the birds.
That is a great shot Duc...the color is interesting and I've never seen it before on any of the pics I've seen of the Anna's!
That is neat duc!
Dahlia-- I thought there might be a nest in there so I looked up and down and around
and I couldn't see anything- she still goes back there (probably for protection) but
someday I would like to see a nestful of those tiny cuties.
Resin-- even though I didn't know that chickadee's were nectar feeders, I did know that they are
usually the first to inspect something new in the neighborhood. Usually the other birds follow.
An example-- I use to love to torment the squirrels by putting peanut butter in the bottom of a
jar and placing it inside a birdcage on a shepard's hook which they dance up and do some
mighty odd contortions to try to get to the prize and watch them try to pull it out and reach in--
its great fun and somewhat getting even for all the mischeif they caused.
However the chickadees took notice and would (after much scouting) step into the jar till
its actually all the way inside and eat the dickens out of the peanutbutter. Pretty soon towhees
and sparrows were in there. Watching and mimic.
The squirrels got even with me and somehow got the bottom of the cage loosened and
the jar lay on the ground empty.
I put another hummer feeder instead and moved it -- fun is over.
Duc- that's a really cool, really wet hummer.
Hope it comes back dry and gives another chance of seeing the colors.
Maybe you can name it.
the AnnaDuc!
nice picture-detail details
I think I'm gonna start hanging a hair dryer next to mine,
with all the rain we get,
community involvement sort of thing,
and a mirror. Ladies looking their best.
This male Rufous would land on a wind chime about six feet from where I was sitting and peek over the top at me. If I moved to get a better view he would scoot.
that's great!
that is cute adel!
Adel, that's an adorable little one you have there!
A female Rufous (I think)
The following link will take you to the most beautiful hummingbird photo I have ever seen:
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/246764/limit/recent
Gary
Wow, Gary, that's pretty spectacular.
I've heard his name before somewhere. Nice shot adel!
My tiny Calliope is still visiting our feeders.
This was a lucky shot of my two Rufous hummers.
He is so cute duc!
Excellent shot Red!
This female Rufous doesn't know how to wing wave, so she tail walks.
LOL adel, nice one!
very nice shots Duc & Adel
That's a cute one Adel!!
Female Rufous.
Male Rufous---
Very nice adel!
great shot Duc,
pretty pics adel,
There are lots of hummers around, anna's and ruf's, no time to just sit and shoot,
most are zipping away on missions and looping over near the
marshy woods out back-- finally some foliage and flowers to play in.
Anna guy on watch.
Bad pic against a cloudy sun.
But didn't mind I was close by.
Brought out the camera to a pic of a Jackson Perkins honey perfume rose.
It scented as good as it looks.
(sorry gotta show)
Thats beautiful!
Looks like orange sorbet! Yummmy color.
Thanks guys, its really a wonderful rose - a grandflora (spelling-sorry) smaller size 3-4 " but sweet.
Looking thru pics I found the female Anna hummer which loved a large rhodie in some pics posted
a while back. At first I thought the white plummage on the side was a feather to be quickly lost. Looks
like I could identify her by this, and
there is another, an Anna which is white tipped almost all of her body, similar to the young hummer
pic I posted which was a 2007. Hopefully it is the same one, just saw her once, naturally totally
unprepared as she swooped over the roof and right in front of us and sipped and gone.
The rufuous stay to the feeder in front of the house and anna's rule on the backside.
I have lousy pics of rufuos, but I'm happy they all get their chance feeding and staying around here.
edit-typos, again and agin and bad sentence structure and incohesive paragraphs but what's new?
This message was edited May 5, 2009 5:53 AM
Anna male blurrr-
Considering that I can't even get a shot I'm impressed! Please keep the pics coming hummer fans for those of us who are photo challenged. I for one really appreciate your postings.
Dahlia you're too kind. Duc and Adel and others get great shots,
I just happen on and hope I got a pic from a fleeting encounter.
Right now there is a challenger to the dominate Anna -- too fast
for me to get a pic- but a battle royale is going on.
Here's what they fight for (besides territory)
pretty anna female from today.
You too can get a pic, just put the feeder close to a window
and have a good cup of tea with your camera on,
usually the battery runs low or else I spill tea all over grabbing the
camera. Some day I will build a counter for myself in front of the
window rather than juggle.
PS-- and just when you finish the cup and time to go back on mission
or you shut the camera down, the little jewels show up (with a sly grin)
