Fun With Hummingbirds

Even though the days have grown much shorter and many of the summer birds have already begun their migration, I really don't consider summer officially over till the hummingbirds have left and boy, do I have hummingbirds right now!

It was time to clean and refill the nectar feeders tonight and I decided to have a little fun with the hummingbirds before hanging all the feeders back out again.

In my opinion, the most fun you can have with hummingbirds is getting them to come close and maybe even perch on your finger or eat out of your hand. It's easiest to do this when you're changing the nectar and have taken the feeder down for a few minutes. When you get back outside, they usually are waiting impatiently for you to hang it again.

I like to just hold the feeder myself and see how long it takes them to come while it's in my hand. I'm always amazed at how bold and fearless they are for their size.

When my arm got tired, I decided to see what would happen if I put the feeder on my lap.

Amazing......

I like this particular nectar feeder because the bottom is flat and it's easy to hold in your hand or sit on a flat surface (like your lap!)

I had the camera stuck to my face, but I could hear their little buzzes and chirps all around me while they were flying in. I was sitting perfectly still and didn't take the camera away for fear the movement would scare them away, but before I saw them in the viewfinder, I knew they were close because I could feel the breeze generated by those rapidly beating wings....they really make a lot of breeze.

One came.....

Then there was a little challenge when the second one arrived.....

(if you look close in the top center--just right of the red salvia--you can see the hummer across from the one in the lower left corner)

But after a couple seconds, they both settled down to eat.

Then a third one tried to come to the feeder and was met with strong resistance. Can you see all three hummers in this picture? (I should have used the action mode, but forgot in all my excitement.)

I remember a few months ago, someone sent me an e-mail of a woman holding a little red dish (filled with nectar) in her hand and feeding hummingbirds. I'm going to try and find a little red dish and attempt to do this myself. This late summer time of peak hummingbird activity is the perfect time for fun with hummingbirds....and unlike the warnings on TV, "please do try this at home!"