Blue is Back

The bluebird is back, and again, brought along the house finches, and a junco too!

Blues and Friends

Its a Halloween treat for me!  Three beautiful bluebirds welcomed me home from work...

And they brought friends!  Well, not really friends...one of the bluebirds wasn't a big fan of this bird and chased it away.  I believe this might be a Carolina Wren, but I'm not sure. There were two of them, but I couldn't get a clear shot because they flitted so quickly around the backyard and spent a lot of time hidden in the grass.  (Please forgive the poor picture quality in these.  I was excited and struggling with the afternoon sun!)

I believe this is a house finch...

But, the bluebirds are still my favorite!

Junco on the Fence

This morning was met with a surprise flurry of bird activity.  A flock of finches, including a bright red house finch, swooped into the yard, sat on the seed feeder and a nearby tree.  For a moment, my empty feeder syndrome from the hummingbirds was lifted.  By the time I grabbed my camera, however, the high-strung finches had flown away.  A Junco, which had been part of the flock, flew to the fence, and I was able to get a few shots. 

We typically don't see Juncos until the weather cools.  Because temperatures are still reaching the low 80's during the day, I'm surprised to see this Junco so early.

Empty Feeder Syndrome

My last hummingbird for the season left on October 4, 2010.  I've been suffering from empty feeder syndrome since.  Every time I pass our back door, I quickly scan the backyard in hopes of seeing another one.

Yesterday as I scanned, I didn't see a hummingbird, but one of our resident bluebirds (Constance) sitting on the fence!  We rarely see our bluebirds after nesting season, so this was a nice surprise.  The male (Bubba) then swooped in and perched on the bluebird house and had a look inside.  I've heard of bluebirds wintering in nest boxes, but our pair never has.  I would love to experience these beautiful birds during winter!

This morning, Bubba was on the fence again, but quickly flew away.  He was replaced with our resident harassing Mockingbird (Marvin).  If the bluebirds were considering wintering in our backyard, then I'm afraid Marvin might have discouraged them. 

My Bird Dog

Okay, so she's not THAT kind of bird dog, but Sophie the schnauzer likes watching birds almost as much as I do.  She's surveying her backyard kingdom in the above photo to see what birds dare to invade.

I have to admit that I've taught her some bad bird habits.  When big cowbirds were hogging the bird feeder, I told Sophie they were "bad birds," and she barked and rattled the blinds on the backdoor to scare them away.  She'll do this whenever I say those words now.  If I dare open the back door after saying the magic words, she'll shoot out the door like a bullet and chase away any birds that happen to be around.  This was actually really helpful when I was trying to keep house sparrows out of the bluebird house, but if the bluebirds happened to be in the yard too, she would happily chase them away as well, returning to the back door very pleased with herself.  Oops!  Sorry blues!

I caught Sophie watching the hummingbirds a few times this Summer.  She always had a curious and annoyed expression like "what the heck is that noisy thing?" but she never tried to scare them or chase them away.  Of course, I never identified them as "bad birds" either!

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....