I Spy On Birds: 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.