Mockers

I have a love-hate relationship with our resident mockingbirds.  Saturday morning when I was outside trying to capture some of the last photos of hummingbirds before they left for their migration, this mockingbird sat on my roof and entertained me for a good ten minutes with its loud, rambling song.  When this kind of musical interlude comes at 6 a.m. above my bedroom, as it has on occassion, I'm not so entertained!

I also wasn't a fan earlier in the Summer when the mockingbird harassed my nesting bluebirds, chasing them out of the backyard whenever he caught sight of them.  Shortly thereafter, I discovered a mockingbird nest in the Holly Tree in my front yard, which explained the sudden need to be territorial. While I tried to be understanding, it was still annoying to see him chase the bluebirds away from their own nest.

This bird from Saturday sang and sang, initially accommodating my intrusion with the camera.   I finally walked around to the front of the house to get a better photo and a video that would capture the warbling song.

As soon as I hit the video record button, the singing stopped. The bird flew down the roof directly at me, pulling up at the last minute to fly above me and away.  Cheeky bird!

Learning Curve

Think about all of the varieties of flowers and hummingbird feeders!  For baby hummers (and maybe some of the adults), there is a learning curve for figuring out to how feed.  I've watched birds try to feed from the top of the feeder to the bottom.  They eventually figure it out! :)

Photo Day

"I always look fat in pictures."

"We'll have to take another one.  You shut your eyes."

"You've got something in your teeth."

"Did you comb your hair today?"

"Johnny, get out of the picture!"

"Hey, I wasn't ready!"

It Was a Long Hot Summer

Even though it is late September, we are still experiencing temperatures in the upper 90's in Tennessee that are reminiscent of mid-Summer.  This hummingbird welcomed the shade of my red umbrella as a respite from the scorching heat. 

My hummingbird numbers have dwindled.  After a flurry of activity from a group of migrating birds a few weeks ago, my current residents are three:  1).  The guy in the photo above religiously guards the nearby feeder hanging on a shepherd's hook; 2)  Another bird guards the feeder across the yard next to my knock-out roses (photo below); and 3) One bird buzzes through and tries to catch the guarders off-guard to feed from either feeder.

Hummingbirds101: What I Learned This Summer, Part 3

In early September, the hummingbirds visiting my feeders became noticeably more aggressive.  A "feeding frenzy" comes to mind to describe their activity.

One unusual behavior I observed was "piggybacking," where one bird would stand on another's back to feed out of the same "bloom," even where empty perches were available.  This appeared to me to be a type of dominance behavior.

By this point, many of the hummingbirds were carrying extra fat needed to migrate to South America for the winter.

I also observed more diligent guarding of the feeder.  Hummingbirds are notoriously territorial and will often claim a feeder and chase away any other birds were dared to come near.  For several days, one of the hummingbirds sat on a shepherd's hook and guarded the feeder hanging below.

Hummingbirds 101: What I Learned This Summer, Part 2

Not long after adding the feeders to my backyard, I noticed a single hummingbird sipping nectar from a feeder and zipping back to perch on the limb of a Cleveland Pear tree.  I was amazed because I had never seen a hummingbird perch before, and it was the first time I was really able to see the features of the bird.  The bird proceeded to groom itself, using its beak to fluff its feathers and scratching its head with its tiny feet.  She continued making trips to the feeder and returned to her favorite branch for several days.   

Then, guests began arriving.  Initially, the birds were tolerant of one another and fed as a group without incident.

I was surprised at how oblivious they were to my presence as long as I didn't make any sudden movements.  Most of the time, I sat at a patio table chair a few feet from the feeder.  Occassionally, a bird would become curious about me and come closer to have a better look (even when I wasn't wearing a bright color).  My husband experienced this as well the first time he was outside during a feeding frenzy.  As a testament to just how tolerant they were of me, later in the summer when I was replacing the nectar in a feeder, a bird was hovering nearby, and while I held the feeder without moving, the bird fed from the feeder.  The view was amazing, until...another bird decided to attack it a foot from my face!  I won't be holding a feeder again any time soon!

Later in the summer, the birds became noticeably more aggressive toward one another.  The birds would feed peacefully for a moment or two, then one would attack and try to knock the other one off the feeder.  I saw one bird knocked to the ground (and was very thankful my schnauzer wasn't outside at the time!).   Females were just as aggressive as males. 

A particularly nasty fight photo.  This bird was not injured, and in fact, refused to give up the perch!

I also observed what I call "mirroring," where the birds spread their tail feathers at each other in confrontation, typically flying straight up.

Coming in Part 3:  more hummingbird behaivor like piggybacking, late summer feeding frenzy, and guarding.

Hummingbirds 101: What I Learned This Summer, Part 1

Observing and learning about these tiny, aggressive birds has been such a joy!  My prior experience with hummingbirds consisted solely of a few occasions where one happened to whiz by me.  By the time I said "hey, thats a--" the bird would inevitably be gone.  

This summer's adventure started by placing two feeders in my small backyard.  A large piece of property isn't necessary to attract these birds.  My neighbor has three feeders hanging on her front porch.  Another neighbor has a feeder stuck in the landscaping in front of his house. 

Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, so most commercially available feeders are red in color.  It didn't hurt that I had a large red patio table umbrella near one of the feeders either!  I noticed a few hummingbirds checking out the umbrella to find a place to feed from it, so they may have been attracted to the large red "bloom" of the umbrella. 

Ignorant of any controversy, I initially purchased a commercial nectar mix for the feeders that included red dye.  Even though the mix included a disclaimer that it was "USDA approved" and "non-harmful" to hummingbirds, hummingbird experts discourage the use of red dye as unnecessary and potentially harmful.  They recommend a simple mix of sugar and water with a ratio of 4:1, which is much cheaper than a commercial mix anyway.  I switched from the red mix to sugar water mid-summer without any noticeable difference in interest from the birds.

The primary hummingbird observed in the Southeast is the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, and this is the sole hummingbird that frequented my feeders.  The adult male has iridescent feathers covering its throat, called its "gorget," which reflect yellow, orange, or red in the sunlight.  The gorget may also look black in limited light.

Adult Male with Orange Gorget

The adult female typically has a clear white throat, although may have a few iridescent feathers.   Females also have white tips on their tails.   The female is larger than the male, with a longer beak.   

Adult Female

Juvenile males are virtually indistinguishable from females.  Late in the Fall, red feathers may start appearing in the gorget of the juveniles that identify them as males.

Juvenile Male

The birds feed through a very long tongue that is ridged on each side and forked on the end.

Coming soon in Part 2...hummingbird behavior, including group shots and fight photos!

The Unexpected

Even in the suburbs, nature will find you....

Take That!

Not much action yesterday.  One hummingbird has gone into super-guarding mode and was perched on the shepherd's hook all day.  If any other birds dared to come near, she summarily chased them away.

After one particularly rough scuffle, the bird returned with a feather in its beak!  Take that, interloper!

Nice wingspan photo:

I also captured a photo of an American Goldfinch perched in a nearby tree.  When our bluebirds are nesting, I avoid putting seed in the feeders because I don't want to attract house sparrows to disturb them, although I miss seeing the lovely goldfinches and house finches that used to frequent the feeder.  Later this fall, I will add seed again, and maybe this fellow will come back.

Speaking of bluebirds, I couldn't even identify this bird as a bluebird until the light caught the blue feathers.  The shape of the bird was not what I was accustomed to seeing. 

This photo made me long for early summer when the bluebird pair raised two broods in the backyard bluebird house.  Unfortunately, their third batch of eggs were laid in the scorching summer heat, and none were viable.  With the new camera, I'll be ready for them next summer and hope to get some baby photos!

In the Midst of the Fray

The hummingbirds were particularly aggressive yesterday evening!  I was perched in my usual chair with my camera aimed at one of the feeders, which was about five feet away from me.  It wasn't long before fifteen hummingbirds were buzzing around me and chasing one another through the backyard.  They were moving so fast, getting a clear shot was difficult, which was frustrating.  Occasionally, they would make peace for a second or two and all enjoy a refreshment from the feeder, but it wasn't long before the chase was on again.  Loud "smacks" occurred as they sparred.  I can't tell what they are doing to make that noise (surely, they aren't slapping each other with their feet, but thats what it sounds like!). 

I instinctively flinched a few times when I thought I was going to be hit in the fray.  They aren't afraid of me, and in fact, sometimes come very close to me to get a better look.  Yesterday, one bird hovered a few inches from my left ear. 

The birds are getting quite plump at this point, readying for their migration south for the winter. 

"Plumpy"

At least one adult male is still around.

You looking at me??

Channelling Thoreau

I am channelling my inner Thoreau. It started on a whim with the addition of a bird feeder to my backyard two years ago.  A few days later, a lovely little gray bird with what looked like a mohawk became a frequent visitor. "What kind of bird is that?" I wondered.  I consulted my trusty advisor (the internet) for identification and ultimately stumbled across a photo of a tufted titmouse.  Bird identified!  I was hooked. A steady stream of others followed: goldfinches, houses finches, sparrows, jincos, cowbirds, and grackles. A lone morning dove often sat on the fence, and a mockingbird sang from our rooftop. During rainstorms, a few bluebirds hopped around on the grass looking for worms.

 

Hearing about my sudden fascination with birds, my father-in-law gave me a bluebird house that he wasn't using, and we added it to our backyard.  I thought, "Well, we do have some bluebirds around," but never considered that they might use it for nesting.  A month later, I noticed a pair of bluebirds lingering around the house--the female sitting on its roof and the male on the grass underneath. Several weeks after that, the chirping started.  Baby blues in the house! The pair worked diligently to feed the brood over the next two weeks. One morning, I observed four of the babies sitting on the fence testing their wings. Then, they were off.  The pair has used the house to raise several broods of babies, and it is such a joy to watch them swoop through the backyard to care for them.

This summer, I added a hummingbird feeder to our backyard.  Ruby-throated hummingbirds soon began zipping through and sparring with one another.  Their high-pitched chirps can become deafening.   Who knew tiny little birds could make so much noise and be so aggressive?

To capture some of the antics, I was inspired to buy a decent camera.  Although I'm admittedly a bad photographer, the camera is good, and the subjects are beautiful.  I'll post some of the photos I've captured in my backyard for anyone who might also have an interest in channelling Thoreau.