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.
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