A Hummingbird Moment

[tiggymalvern]

I bring the hummingbird feeder in at night during icy weather, so it doesn't freeze, then put it out at first light. My feeder has a perch on it, so the birds don't have to burn calories hovering to feed, they can just sit while they suck in sugar water. I put one of those handwarmer thingies on the bottom so it doesn't freeze during the day.

Which means today, I crawled out of bed at 7.25 the morning after work's Christmas thingie, and into a dressing gown and boots to tramp through the snow and hang the hummingbird feeder at first light. I hung it on the hook and started sticking the handwarmer to it, when there was a buzz and a flash from my left. I'm used to being strafed by little fighter birds when I play with the feeder - they can get very aggressive and territorial, so that was nothing unusual.

But this time the Anna's hummingbird landed on the feeder I was still holding in my hands, and started sucking sugar six inches in front of my eyes. The whole length of her beak disappeared into the fake plastic flower, while she watched me with her right eye, black and beady below her tiny white eyebrow fleck.

I froze.

Every feather on her body was puffed up in full hairy detail, her abdomen pulsing as she lapped and swallowed. She pulled her beak out, cocked her head at me for a few moments, then went right back to sucking.

I slowly took my hands off the feeder, and backed away, thinking she'd fly at the first crucnch of snow. But she stayed, and I went back inside, and back to bed.

The poor thing must have been so hungry, to be desperate enough to come for food in the hands of a human.

I really don't mind getting out of bed at dawn on a Sunday to feed the birds.

Comments

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

Which ones do you get? There are four species in Washington, but only two hit the west coast, the others stay further inland.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Ruby-throated hummingbirds. You don't get them. They're adorable, though.

My dad ate at a restaurant in Arizona or Mexico-- can't remember-- once where they had out hummingbird feeders, and he couldn't believe all the different ones.

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I'm still only getting familiar with the local birds, I haven't yet expanded my horizons to include the inhabitants of the rest if the US!

The southern parts of the US and Mexico definitely get a far greater variety than us poor northerners.