Subject: [Tweeters] re: Hummingbird and Merlin question.
Date: Jul 7 19:42:52 2017
From: Caryn Schutzler - bluedarner1 at seanet.com


For the past week, along with youthful Merlins there seem to be several hummingbirds flying around and at them. Since the fledglings still have some wisps of down on them, this brings up my thought about attraction of hummers to white fluff - but why would the hummers be collecting more fluff now? Do they have more than one brood /year?
In my experience Barb, we have had more than one brood per year and they do collect fluff to line the nests - sometimes even in the same nest, which they reline with fluff.

Or are the hummers mobbing potential predators like crows do, to get them out of their territories ?

Don't think they collect fluff to mob the predators (not sure if that is your question) but have seen them chase off birds in the vicinity of their nests.

Any ideas on this?

Hope this helps.

Caryn / Wedgwood


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