Hummer Frenzy

The weather shifted, rain arrived and the temperature dropped by at least fifteen degrees in a matter of hours. If you are a hummingbird, that’s a big deal. These little birds need to take in a lot of energy because they use a lot of it – especially during the darkness of night when they cannot feed. If you all of a sudden find yourself having to stay warm with a twenty percent deficit of ambient heat – you need to find a big, evening snack before bedtime!

Yesterday evening, that is exactly what happened to the Ruby-throated hummingbirds that frequent our nectar feeders. The shift in temperature drew out all of the local birds, perhaps even those that tend to make their living off the natural plants in the area.

I encountered this situation when I was moving through the location where most of our feeders are hanging. I was on my way from my office to the golf cart that I park just off the patio deck. I wasn’t prepared to film the feeding frenzy that I witnessed. I had no tripod. I didn’t have the right lens and the action was definitely not facing the right direction for good lighting. It had been raining and the sky was gray, there was no natural sun, the birds were under the awning and I was filming them with the gray exterior wall of our house, as a backdrop. But, I couldn’t resist capturing the feeding frenzy that was whirling around me. I’ve said it before, when the hummingbirds get all worked up in a group, it’s like watching a game of quidditch (from the Harry Potter books.)

This isn’t the best film – please excuse the hand-held jittery presentation. But, it’s something I thought I would share.

Here are some still shots I took, as well. It’s interesting to see two males (the ones with the ruby red throats) peacefuly existing around the feeders. They tend to display a bit of territoriality with each other. Again, not the greatest lighting in the still shots, either, but I simply cannot keep these little birds’ aereal acrobatic feats to myself!