This year it was just me who was able to touch the tiny bird. This female frequents our feeder. There is one dominant male who pretty much owns the feeder but he will allow this female to drink when he sees fit for her to do so. Fickle fellow.
This past weekend we were having our Saturday evening gaming session - D & D 1st edition for those who are curious. Our dining table has perfect viewing of the hummingbird feeder. As we all sat, talked politics, and attempted to solve the county's problems over homemade chili I noticed my female had been perched at the feeder for a long time. She seemed to be stunned. However, when the male would buzz her or even nudge her, she would turn her head in defense but not offer much else. We watched and a couple hours passed. It still was not dark (no, it does not get dark until 9:30 pm) and hummingbirds rarely fly in the dark so I was hoping she'd take off soon. Nothing.
I went out and decided to give a little nudge but with a little more force behind it than the male bird. I did so and she opened her eyes and perked up. She did not fly away but she started drinking from the feeder. I grabbed my camera and took the most close up photos I've ever been able to take along with a somewhat shaky video because toward the end when the male came back he buzzed my head. Still, it was cool to watch her drink and suck bugs out of the sky.
Let me just say, her feathers were so soft and she was so tiny. I jumped up and down with happiness when she flew away knowing she had recovered from whatever had stunned her.
3 comments:
Not that I want a hummingbird to be stunned but I want to experience this too!! They are amazing little birds.
These are amazing photos. I'm always trying to get the kids attention when they come around to my mother-in-law's feeder but by the time the kids look the tiny birds are gone.
I LOVE hummingbirds. My mum had a hanging basket with flowers {I forget what kind} and every so often, we'd see hummingbirds fly up to the basket and drink the nectar.
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