One of Donna’s retirement gifts was a Gift Certificate to a local store called Birds & Butterflies. And one of things she bought with her GC was a hummingbird feeder. We have filled it a couple of times and had yet to see a hummingbird. About a week ago we were sitting on the porch when one flew up, took a sniff of the feeder, seemingly shook it head, turned around and flew off. I took the hint and changed out the sugar-water nectar (it had been awhile anyway.)
The very next day it was back and since then has become a frequent visitor. One time after it had been coming around a few days, it seemed to notice us on the porch. It flew up and over about half way between the feeder and the screen, then zipped up a foot or so, so it was eye level with us. It hovered it front of Donna for a second or two, then zipped horizontally to hover in front of me for a second or two, then it took off back into the trees.
Earlier this week the hummingbird did something that stunned us. It flew out from the trees, stopped to hover at right about the same spot it did when it was “eyeballing” us, swiveled it head 90° and sucked a small flying bug right out of mid air. Who knew? We both thought all they ate was flower nectar and pollen and such.
Forgive the crappy picture, but we were sitting on the back screened porch near dusk and the cell phone camera focus is slightly freaked out by the screen between us and the bird. Tonight for the first time we had two hummingbirds come to the feeder. Not at the same time though, hummingbirds are pretty territorial. As a matter of fact, we first noticed that there were two because we saw one chasing bird the other around.
Sometime early this week the Purple Whale passed the 70,000 mile mark.