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Tiny and territorial
Jul. 2nd, 2015 11:53 pmLike most yards in the neighborhood (except mine), J. has a fine patch of bright scarlet crocosmias. I was inclined to read outside J's house this evening, and there were large wasps gathering bits of grass and building nests around the doorway near the front porch(!), so I moved my chair to the opposite corner of the yard, near the crocosmias, and J. came out to read with me.
We soon discovered that hummingbirds love crocosmias, and one in particular decided it was her territory. She'd sit on a branch, and every so often flit about getting nectar, but then another one would come and take a turn, then *ch!ch!ch!* and she'd fly through the air after the interlope. Then she'd come back, hover in the air facing J. and announce something or other to him, then back to the branch she'd go. Once she was away and the other one came and sat on a branch instead. They looked so small sitting still.
From the web, I'm guessing these were rufous hummingbirds, with the one we saw most a female (greener back), and the one who kept invading the territory was male (whiter throat, redder head, a distinctly different bird).
We soon discovered that hummingbirds love crocosmias, and one in particular decided it was her territory. She'd sit on a branch, and every so often flit about getting nectar, but then another one would come and take a turn, then *ch!ch!ch!* and she'd fly through the air after the interlope. Then she'd come back, hover in the air facing J. and announce something or other to him, then back to the branch she'd go. Once she was away and the other one came and sat on a branch instead. They looked so small sitting still.
From the web, I'm guessing these were rufous hummingbirds, with the one we saw most a female (greener back), and the one who kept invading the territory was male (whiter throat, redder head, a distinctly different bird).