Hi Tweets,
Due to recent work and general life slow-downs, I've had a lot of time lately in which to observe birding behavior around my home.
Yesterday I observed a FAMILY of STELLAR'S JAYS, with an adult raiding seeds from my upstairs neighbor's feeder to deliver to at least one, maybe two, juveniles. This was an incredibly raucous event. My images aren't great - the birds were pretty far away so I had trouble getting good focus with my camera - but the action is fun nevertheless. Imagine a whole lot of squawking as soundtrack for the pictures. http://www.flickr.com//photos/18600129 at N05/sets/72157630813683774/show/
My hummingbird feeder has also been incredibly active, and today I looked out to find a MALE ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD taking a little snooze on my suet cage. I was able to get some really nice pictures of him, and to watch some fascinating Hummer behavior.
It seems that a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD is attempting to take ownership of the feeder, but the MALE ANNA'S is vigorously defending it. I caught a couple of images of what I assume was territorial dance between these birds today.
I also observed the Anna's male - I've nicknamed him "Scout" - standing guard and lookout on the suet feeder while one or more other hummers, presumably other Anna's, come in to feed. These hummers appear to carefully present themselves to the Anna's male for inspection (in split-second time, as everything Hummers do is at lightning speed, right? :) before they are allowed to feed. They fly past his suet perch and pause briefly in space once or twice, sometimes doing a little dance around the feeder to make sure they've been accepted.
While the other Hummer feeds, the male Anna's is on high alert. He expends a lot of energy flaring his wings, cocking his head every which direction, showing off his stunning gorget, and scolding in that uniquely Hummingbird way. He is constant motion and energy until the feeding Hummer flies away. And of course if an unwelcome Hummer makes an attempt at the feeder, the male Anna's quickly chases the intruder away.
In many of the close-up pictures of the male Anna's, you can see what looks like molting feathers from the top of his head on the right side. Is this how the male develops the gorget feathers, through molting?
It's been quite fun and interesting to observe all this behavior. As I mentioned, I managed to snap a couple of pictures of the Anna's v. Rufous dance, though they're far from Audubon quality. The male Anna's presented quite nicely a few times on the suet cage so I did manage to get some nice images of him. A series of pictures from today's activity is available here for your enjoyment. Fyi that the most brilliant full-on gorget images occur in the middle of the series and the Anna's vs. Rufous images are near the end. http://www.flickr.com//photos/18600129 at N05/sets/72157630814960252/show/
I think I've posted this before - an acknowledgment that I love hummingbirds maybe just a little TOO much. :) I am so smitten. They assure me that there is good and humor in the world, and they bring me feelings of happiness no matter what else might be going on.
Happy birding, all,
Christy JobeKenmorechristyrj at hotmail