Hummers Wars 2013 – Part I

I know, I know . . . too much hummingbirds stuff . . . but, in my defense, this is not the last of it.  There will be more.

First up, a quick video I shot yesterday.  Now, one might think this is unusual . . . not so.  I could have shot as many as I wanted.  I just walked out, stood there for a minute, and walked back in.  That scene is repeated at each of the feeders, pretty much all day.  

Understand that not four feet away, there are three window feeders with a total of six perches, and eight feet or so from there are two more window feeders and another hanging feeder . . . and that’s just in the back.

The above was shot handheld with, what else, my Samsung Note II phone.  However, do not think I have forgotten my Nikon D7000 . . . I’ll be posting a couple of videos from it as well. 

However, in the interim, I figure I will add a few of the photos I snapped yesterday.  

From first to last, the sequence encompasses 8 minutes.  These are just the ones I kept (many were very similar to these, and I just got rid of them).

 As usual, all of the photos can be seen in their native resolution in the associated SmugMug gallery (HERE).  They are perhaps a tad grainier than my usual offerings, but that’s because it was overcast, and to even freeze some of the action, I was shooting at a high ISO.

First up, are some of the close-ups I managed to get.

As one can see from the video above, they are not standing still for very long.  By the way, we’ve been experiencing wet weather!!  Yes, foggy, drizzly, and often outright rain.  So, these are all shot in slightly overcast and wet conditions.

For this next shot, I wished I had been shooting with a greater depth of field.  The landing approach in the background would have made for a great shot.

One might notice, both in the video and in some of the photos, the makeshift landing perches.  Made out of heavy gauge wire, those were added to the bottom of the bottle after a raccoon last year broke off the standard perches.  It looks funky, but the hummers don’t seem to mind, and it allows, on occasion, for two hummers to feed on the same station.

Anyway, as soon as one lands, another comes over to ask if they are done, and if could they please move along.

The answer is usually, but not always, “Fudge-off!”  (them who like the movie “A Christmas Story” will recognize the intent)

That usually prompts a more aggressive request, and the newcomer gets the spot.

So, here are some random action shots captioned, as always, with my stream-of-consciousness first impressions.

We now have eleven 8-oz feeders up, and we’re having to refill them once a day.  This is an unusual amount of activity for this early in the year.   We don’t typically see this kind of frenzy until mid-to-late August, when the birds are getting ready to migrate.  

However, we are not complaining; a welcome change from last year, when we were wondering where all the birds had gone (we had a bunch, but less than in previous years).  

I hope enjoyment was had, as I know this makes the fourth post about hummingbirds . . . and there will be more.  Maybe I’ll do flowers next, just as a break.

~ ~ ~ ~ o o o o ~ ~ ~ ~

Astute persons might have noticed these doodles, and correctly surmised they hold some significance for me, and perhaps for humanity at large.  

If you click on the doodle, and nothing happens, this is the link it’s supposed to go to: https://disperser.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/palm-vx-and-i/.  

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