No, I haven't gone to the dark side. However, I have named one of the backyard hummingbirds Busta. Why, you ask?
Well, every year, I put out hummingbird feeders because I enjoy seeing the tiny creatures buzzing around. We have two pairs who seem to return each year (believe it or not, they migrate from here to Florida in the winter!). The season always starts out slow, but by about this time, things between the resident hummingbirds usually gets a bit tense. Turf wars break out, and drive-by's are a daily occurance.
Yesterday, one of the males decided that the entire patio was HIS. He took up residence on the back of one of our patio chairs, strategically placed at the center of the area with a clear view of patio and surrounding flower beds. He then proceeded to puff himself up (which is hilarious all by itself when you figure he weighs maybe an ounce and is less than two inches long) and started bobbing his head in a very menacing fashion. With his bright green back and vivid red neck I thought he looked like a gansta rapper - hence the name!
Every time another hummingbird dares to visit one of the feeders or ANY of the flowers, Busta launches a fierce and noisy aerial attack. It's pretty funny sitting out there, because I can hear is the buzzing of wings and the little attack-chirps - I have no idea what direction they are coming from, of course.
Ah, nature, ya gotta love it!
Ah yes, nature. All about eating, mating, fighting and being eaten. :) I'd love to have a hummingbird here. Sadly, they don't migrate here. Clever birds. lol
ReplyDeleteWe aren't allowed to have the kind of bird feeders with seeds here (attracts bears), so we amuse ourselves with the hummingbirds. This time of year, after the chicks have hatched, it is like a very busy, very tiny aerial acrobatic show out in our yard. They are surprisingly fierce - maybe because they are so small. We have praying matids that are larger! Did you know that a praying mantis will actualy EAT a hummingbird??? Euw.
ReplyDeletePRaying Mantis eat hummingbirds? Wow. Gruesome. Gardens are battle fields, and if any of us just knew what goes on there, we'd keep out of them! lol
ReplyDeleteI wish we had hummingbirds but no - every once in while I will see one here...OK, that was an exaggeration - ONE in my lifetime - but it was last year. I guess all of my flowers attracted it for a stop over in its migration...
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to me that something so tiny can travel so far each year - they migrate from the Florida Keys all the way up to Eastern Canada. There is actually a website that tracks their migration every year (which is how I know it is time to put out the feeders.) By the way, Busta was killin' it yesterday on the patio - he was definitely bustin' some moves!
ReplyDeleteWe used to have hummingbirds in our back courtyard but ever since we adopted a homeless "city" cat the birds have disappeared. One crazy pigeon escaped death over the weekend when we looked out back and saw feathers flying everywhere and we retrieved the beaten up bird from our cat's jowls. This cat won't eat generic cat food but will eat a nasty pigeon, squirrel, etc. Go figure@ All wildlife has deleted my address on their GPS!
ReplyDeleteAngie
remind me where you live? I need to remove that address from my GPS! lol
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