Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Hummingbird Personalities

We have two hummingbird feeders and four hummingbirds who are frequenting the food stations.
I've learned this summer by watching them that hummingbirds have personalities. I've named our four hummingbirds according to their personalities:
Hummer, the all American good hummingbird.
Humms, the zen female hummingbird who is my favorite.
Hip Hop, the hummingbird that flies like a little bunny going hop, hip, hop near the ground.
Helter Skelter, the hummingbird from Hell.

Well, you ask, how do tell their gender? I don't know. But I think Humms acts like a girl. She likes to sit on the rose trellis near the feeder and just contemplate life in my flower garden. She is like in a tranquil zen state. But then along comes Helter Skelter, the little bully, and he knocks her off her meditation pedestal by dive bombing her. I can just picture Humms saying to herself: these guys are so juvenile! When are they going to grow up?

Hummer is the biggest drinker. When he comes to the feeder attached to my breakfast room window I can see his little mouth (beak?) gulping down the sugar water and his little wings are beating so fast that I can see the illusion of four wings: two going up and two going down.

Hip Hop is the funniest flyer. He skims the ground in a series of hip hops instead of helicopter moves that most hummingbirds use.

Helter Skelter is just plain mean. I can't think of anything good to say about him. He hides in the shrubs and trees and then does sneak attacks on the other birds at the feeder and poor Humms on her rose trellis perch.

Two of these hummingbirds like to fly together in a vertical rocket formation. They look like the Air Force Blue Angels doing tricks in the air. They will fly straight up in the air---higher than our two story house. Then they break formation and fly off in a dive in two different directions. What a sight to see.

2 comments:

  1. I love this! I do sunflower seeds and suet; the feeder has been a great source of pleasure for us this summer. You do learn the character of the birds! For instance, that tiny red-breasted nuthatch is a macho, pushy, devil and drives away the other birds. With his beak, beak, beak! And he is the smallest one, only 4.5 inches!

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  2. Birds really are a lot like people. Some are loving and caring parents while others are pushy greedy little devils. I always say that every person has a story to tell. After this summer of bird watching I think every bird has a story to tell too. Thanks for the comments June.

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