Hi Amy,

Regarding insect prey of hummingbirds, I know someone in Black Diamond who
was raising an orphaned hummer chick (named "Goliath") on spider hatchlings;
she would carry him on her finger and hold him up to the new hatched spider
swarms, which she had previously scoped out. Goliath did quite well on that
diet, and soon preferred to feed while perched, rather than on the wing.
After she released him she could recognize him by that peculiar feeding
habit. Perhaps he found it preferable to sit and savour one's meal, rather
than rush off to the next food item.

Kevin Li
Seattle

> ----------
> From: Shumann, Amy
> Reply To: Shumann, Amy
> Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 1999 10:57 AM
> To: 'tweeters at u.washington.edu'
> Subject: LaPush
>
> Hello tweeters, I'm new to the list and have gotten some great tips so
> far!
> At LaPush (Second Beach) on 5/8 tufted puffins and hundreds of Pelagic
> cormorants nesting on offshore sea-stacks, also 4 immature balds with 2
> adults flying up and down the beach for several hours. On the trail down
> to
> the beach a pair of orange crowned warblers and a ruffous hummingbird.
> The
> hummingbird spent a lot of time flitting around on an unidentified (at
> least
> I couldn't identify it) shrub - I assumed there were flowers, but when I
> looked closely at the bush there were no flowers but the leaves had
> thousands of tiny holes- probably made by some kind of little beetle(?).
> I
> know that hummingbirds feed on insects as well as nectar but I can't
> remember ever seeing one feeding on insects and didn't know how they fed
> on
> them (while in flight? picked off of plants?) Does anyone know what kind
> of insects our hummers prefer and where they like to find them?
>
> Amy Shumann, Seattle
> amy.shumann at metrokc.gov
>