We have one of those commercial natural nest material balls that resemble a
giant cocoon hanging under the eaves of our house. This morning a Rufous
Hummingbird was making the ball spin violently and then plopping down and
riding it! At 1 point it grabbed some of the material and just dropped it as
it attempted to get the ball swinging again. We've had Pine Siskins,
Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and other hummers take the
material for nesting but no other bird used it as a merry go round. I know
it's tempting to apply human emotions to other animals when they have
different motives but it sure looked like the bird was having fun!
Steve Ellis
Coupeville,Wa
sellis at coup.wednet.edu