About 2 months ago, I was out watering my flower bed when I saw a hummingbird fly through the stream of water. I mentioned this to Dorothy, and she told me she had never seen a hummingbird. I had seen some as a kid, and I also saw some while on vacation in Costa Rica a few years ago, but they are not something you see every day. So we decided to get a hummingbird feeder.
Hummingbirds are remarkable animals. They are everywhere, but they are elusive. Part of the problem with seeing them is their size. They are not much bigger than some flying insects. Only one hummingbird species nests in Ohio - the Ruby Throated hummingbird. In fact, it is the only hummingbird that breeds east of the Mississippi River, and it's the only hummingbird species you will see regularly in Ohio, although there are reports of other hummingbirds stopping by while on their migratory routes.
Some interesting facts about hummingbirds...
They are found only in the Americas. Their heart rate is around 1200 beats per minute. Their nests are the size of walnuts and their eggs are the size of peas. Everything about them is small except their appetites. They spend a lot of time feeding, and various sources state that hummingbirds consume 2 to 5 times their own body weight every day. Because of their metabolism, they are always just a few hours away from starving. When they settle in for the night, they go into a state of torpor and their heart rate can slow to as little as 50 beats per minute. The Ruby Throated flies south for the winter, to Mexico and Central America. That such a small bird can make the trip is fascinating. Their wingbeat is about 50 per second. Look here for a slow-motion video of a hummingbird in flight. Amazing.
It took about a week for the first sighting, but they have found the feeder, and now they are here every day. We regularly see females at the feeder, but I've only seen one male (identified by the ruby throat) so far. This morning, I was out on the porch reading the Sunday paper, when I saw three hummingbirds jockeying for a place at the feeder. Hummingbirds are very territorial, and these three were fighting over the feeder. It was something to see...they would charge each other in mid-air, and bat their wings into the other birds' wings in an attempt to keep the others from using the feeder.
These pictures are not the highest quality, but they are the best I have. The top picture is one of the females that was fighting over the feeder this morning. The bottom three pictures were taken in quick succession as the bird approached the feeder. This one is probably an adult female, and I think the top picture is a juvenile female. All are at 1/1000 second shutter speed.
I'm going to get out my telescope, connect it to my Nikon, and try to get some better pictures of the hummingbirds that are going to war over my hummingbird feeder.
9 comments:
Here is something about the Ruby-throated Hummingbird that you may not know. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird has a total estimated population of over 7 million individuals. This species of hummingbird was hunted during the nineteenth century for its beautiful plumage, but the Ruby-throated Hummingbird now enjoys protection from harvest through the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This act declares unlawful the taking, killing, or possessing of migratory birds. It is also listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna of 1975.
This is something about hummingbirds in general you may not know. It is believed by some scientists that as many as 19 species of plants which are found in the eastern United States have co-evolved with hummingbirds. This is belived to be due to the tubular shape of certain flowers and the length and shape of a hummingbird’s bill. The hummingbird laps up nectar by flicking its long, forked tongue deep within a flower at rates up to ten times per second. It forages while hovering airborne, inadvertently collecting pollen on its feathers and bill before darting off to its next meal. Its efficiency as a pollinator is comparable to that of a honey bee.
I have been learning about and developing articles on the subject of hummingbirds for athe past year or or so. I opperate two websites on the subject of hummingbirds. If you would like much more information about hummingbirds, please click the links below. The sites contain many articles about hummingbirds, video clips about hummingbirds, an informative tips booklet on hummingbirds, and much more.
Click Here To Visit About Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds For Mom
I checked out the link left by Zoe Ann Hinds, and I recommend that you click on it if you want to learn more about hummingbirds. Lots of good info on the site.
Fascinating. In order to stop the territorial squabbles, may I suggest that you mount several hummingbird feeders in your garden. What do you put in the feeder by the way?
YP - They like a nectar composed of one part sugar to four parts water. In nature, they will ignore flowers whose nectar is less than 12% sugar, and prefer their nectar in the range of 20% to 24% sugar.
One feeder is enough, I don't want to start WW III!
Please post some more tidbits about the little birdies flying around your house. It's soooooo cute.
Lovely post. Came here via YP...
I'm so glad Dorothy saw her first humming bird! A little red food coloring in the feeder (even though it is red) will help too. Next Spring...plant a lot of red flowers...geraniums especially. They love those. Sweetness and Red are their 2 favorite things. I have tons of hummingbirds every summer here. They are so facinating to watch.
Lo - you are wrong about the red food coloring, they don't need that. Well, you're just wrong about so much!
This is our first year with a feeder. We are really loving watching the birds. I appreciate your stories. No fights here yet but now I know what to do if they start!
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