Our Garden Gate

4 hummers at feeder

Hummingbirds are a favorite with a lot of people, with their antics at the feeders. Most of the time, many hummers will feed at the same time, but not always. It’s always been amazing to me how a creature that is so tiny, can also be so feisty and aggressive. I’ve watched one little male fend off all other hummers at the feeder, except for what appears to be one female. Since they can look so much alike, it’s hard to know if it’s the same female or not. But it is obvious that it is the same male. He will sit on the arch above the feeder and when hungry, dip down for a sip. Otherwise, he is perched on his holding spot and will only leave it to chase off other hummers. Fearless little bugger.

I had a lot of flowering hanging baskets this year that had plenty of long, cascading stems loaded with flowers. On one particularly hot day, I watched as a hummer would feed at the flowers, then swoop underneath to hover in the shade of the hanging basket. It seems like just the effort of

7 hummingbirds at feeder

hovering would warm him up.

We enjoyed seeing them this fall, as they were passing through, and look forward to their returning next spring. These are some pictures of hummers visiting our feeders when I lived in the south (zone 8 ).

hungry hummers

Hummers at the feeder

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