Subject: [Tweeters] The Hummingbird Hour
Date: Wed Jan 2 07:14:56 PST 2019
From: mary hrudkaj - mch1096 at hotmail.com



Usually, every late afternoon between 3:30 and 4:30 this time of year there is what I call the 'hummingbird hour' at the feeder outside the living room window. Yesterday it was amazing. There are 6 Anna's (a dominant male, a second male and a harem of 4 females) here this winter and they all were trying to fill their little bellies before night fell. Often there would be 4-5 jockeying for perches. The dominant male sometimes let the females in to feed and sometimes chased them away.

At one moment the male looked to be standing on a female's head as they both flew in one position for about 20 seconds. I had the camera out and was taking photos. Once these two broke apart I looked at the photo and was astonished at what I saw on close inspection of the image. The male not only was perched on her head but he had one of his feet wrapped around her beak as though perching on it. No one was worse the wear for the strange interaction fortunately. I (and my house cats) love watching the hummers during feeding time but this time was a whopper. I wonder if the the male grabbed the beak on purpose or just thought he was on a weird branch.



Mary Hrudkaj
Belfair/Tahuya


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