OT: Crazy Hummingbirds - Part II

[RonB]

I posted a few weeks ago about a hummingbird that was entering our garage shop in the evenings while we were working. Table saws, routers and other equipment have no apparent effect on it. He spends much of his time (sometimes hour or more) flying around the fluorescent tubes in the ceiling.

Yesterday it got better. The little fellow started perching...a lot. Most of the time he would land on the wires extending down to the garage door openers, on the spokes of bicycles hanging from the ceiling and other convenient spots. At one time he even hung on the sheetrock wall and fanned his tail out. He got so used to us being around he even "posed" and watched as I took a few pictures of him.

Not wanting it to get trapped in the garage, I turned off the lights and it eventually flew out the door and perched on our trash cart, then in the gravel at the base of the cart. My wife, thinking he was hurt, was able to actually touch him and gently pat him on the head. She moved a piece of gravel next to its foot and it flew away to the trees at the edge of our lot.

It must be OK. It is humming around the garage again this afternoon. Again, I think I'm gonna replace all of those sticky feeders with fluorescent tubes.

[Mark & Juanita]

Very cool.

[marc rosen]

Hey Ron, Nice account, I enjoyed reading this. (I missed your initial post, a litle too lazy to go back right now). Do you know if this H-bird is a male? What color is its throat? I've had the pleasure of helping rehabilitate a few hummingbirds at a local wildlife rescue and those critters are really cool to watch and handle. Read you later, Marc (who has ducks as pets but no hummingbirds)

[Jerry - OHIO]

He's in love !!!With the HUMMMMM of the lights. Crazy HUMMMMMM ing bird.

Jerry

[RonB]

The breast, probably up to its throat is green. He let me take some pics but lighting was poor.

It was back in there last evening for an hour or more just flying around from light to light and perching from time to time.

Ron

[Robatoy]

It wasn't tempting to get your badminton racket? . . . . . . . . . . It's a JOKE, people....a JOKE!!!

[RonB]

Nope. We enjoy having them. We just built a house on a 1-1/2 acre lot. The lot is still nude of trees but we are surrounded by timber, and farm fields. The birds are starting to hang around but only a few hummers.

They are fascinating little creatures.

[marc rosen]

Hello Again Ron, You mean "She" lets you take some pictures (unless it is a juvenile male because I don't think males develop the ruby throat until they are mature.) Want to help me make a human size BADminton racket for our friend Robatoy? (Another Joke) Marc

[Angela Sekeris]

I deserve that.LOL. Turns out I find them fascinating creatures. I love watching them. A client of mine has a lot of them on her property. She grows flowers for them and photographs them with long lenses. Beautiful pictures.

[Steve Turner]

My parents live in mid-Missouri, and every day my Mom loads up her bright red hummingbird feeders with sugar water. At almost any given time there are probably fifty or more hummingbirds hanging around those feeders! Most people think they're really "cute", but when they're in competition for food they're nothing short of aggressive and bitchy. They create a constant chatter, and there is always some kind of mid-air battle going on.

[jo4hn]

Beautiful birds with unintended consequences for those who feed them, at least around here. Bears LLOOOOOVVVEE the sugar water. Anybody who feeds the birds will learn to take the feeders inside at night. growl, jo4hn

[HeyBub]

If you like birds, you might try this (I saw it at the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania).

You need a three-sided aquarium. These can often be found near apartment house dumpsters.

Line the inside of the aquarium with reflective window foil, fashion a lid for the top.

Mount the result in a window and sprinkle bird seed on the bottom.

The little birdies will come for breakfast while you are enjoying yours a mere one or two feet away.

Then, if you're lucky, a hawk will swoop down and eat the little birdie.

[RonB]

Yesterday evening I was standing on the porch near a hanging plant. One, flew up and fed on the plant for a few seconds and then flew over within a foot of my face and hovered. It was like he was saying "Howdy!" and then took off for the trees. It was a different color that my garage lurker.

RonB

[Mark & Juanita]

They are cool critters, aren't they? The variety of colors is another aspect of it. We have a couple lantana that they seem to like, amazing to watch.

[marc rosen]

Hey RonB, The Wildlife Rescue Center got another male H-bird with a broken wing in tonight. (Probably one that was flying around Robatoy's house). He may never fly again but he eats aggressively. I had the pleasure of feeding him 4 times in about an hours time and tomorrow we're going to set up a new pen with a perch so he does not have to be hand fed. In the nursery there are fluorescent lights which reflected off of his ruby breast. It was so bright it looked like a small flashlight was under his head. He tried to fly a few times but gave up when he would fall over and by the end of the evening he appeared quite coontent to eat from a syringe without flapping his wings. Oh, by the way, tomorrow I get to rewire my woodshop and hook up my new dust collector. Marc

[manyirons]

What about Russian roulette?