Close encounter with a hummingbird
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
Eugene, Oregon
December 28, 2016 11:30am CST
Up at 7 AM, no work today I am glad to say. I started the coffee, emptied the dishwasher, mixed new sugar water for my two hummingbird feeders and when I opened the front door to put one on the hanger there, one little guy was quite impatient. He flew right up onto our small porch and was very ready for some nectar. I placed the feeder on the hook and there, about 18 inches from my face, this tiny male Anna's Hummingbird sipped his breakfast while watching me carefully.
He drank some then flew to a nearby bush. I decided to come back into the house so he could sip in peace. I did not have my camera in my hand, but he often sits guarding "his" feeder, as shown in my photo.
14 people like this
17 responses
@allknowing (136446)
• India
29 Dec 16
I have a bird bath that attracts all kinds of birds and hummingbirds are regular visitors here.
2 people like this
@allknowing (136446)
• India
29 Dec 16
@JamesHxstatic You guys have that problem. Wonder where these birds get to quench their thirst.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
29 Dec 16
@allknowing There are some larger bodies of water nearby and I break the ice on my bird bath with a hammer.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
29 Dec 16
That is great! My bird bath is frozen a lot this winter.
1 person likes this
@His_chariot (375)
• United States Minor Outlying Islands
28 Dec 16
The way I understand it is they are very dominant toward their feed domain. They don't share a feed area.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
30 Dec 16
@His_chariot Not really, but there is enough for several at a time if they were not so aggressive.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Dec 16
Not all species are like that, but the Anna's is very stingy, does not share well.
@His_chariot (375)
• United States Minor Outlying Islands
30 Dec 16
@JamesHxstatic Do you blame it?
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
29 Dec 16
Lovely image and I love Humming Birds too. How lucky to have them come to you like that. I have seen it before with Robins as an example but not with other birds say like the Blackbird.
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
30 Dec 16
@JamesHxstatic
Sunflower seeds and suet that would attract them a lot it must be so nice to see that every day and all those different kinds of birds too.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
30 Dec 16
I feed the birds with suet and a mix of chopped peanuts and sunflower seeds in tube feeders in the back yard. It is not uncommon to have eight or ten species there at once.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
29 Dec 16
@JamesHxstatic Really? Then looks belie.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
29 Dec 16
@jaboUK I was quite surprised to learn that .
1 person likes this
@RichardMeister (5328)
• Otis Orchards, Washington
28 Dec 16
When I was a kid on the farm there were birds that would swoop down within inches of our heads if we got too close to their tree.
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@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Dec 16
I can imagine that they are really feisty when nesting.
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@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Dec 16
@RichardMeister Yes, they do make quite a noise when they get that close.
1 person likes this
@RichardMeister (5328)
• Otis Orchards, Washington
28 Dec 16
@JamesHxstatic I believe so. We used to get a real laugh out of watching our foster mother's mother go to the paper box. These birds would swoop down within inches of her head and she would pay them no attention at all. We could never figure out if she knew they were doing that and just ignored them or if she had no idea what was going on.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
30 Dec 16
I looked that one up. Wow! What a colorful bird that is!
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
30 Dec 16
@JudyEv They are also very colorful.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340019)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Dec 16
@JamesHxstatic Some of our native parrots are very colourful. There is an Eastern rosella too, found on the eastern side of the country.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (166996)
• Boise, Idaho
29 Dec 16
How fun! I was watching an old Disney nature movie that showed some baby animals. They had baby hummingbirds on it too. So cute! Not as colorful as mom but cute.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (166996)
• Boise, Idaho
30 Dec 16
@JamesHxstatic ......How very odd.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
30 Dec 16
Yes, and their eggs are the size of coffee beans.
1 person likes this
@xstitcher (32471)
• Petaluma, California
27 Jul 17
"...mixed new sugar water for my two hummingbird feeders..."
That's happening very frequently here, lately. They're voracious little critters, but fun to watch !
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Jul 17
They really are. I need to mix up some more sugar water.
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Dec 16
The Anna's species stays around all winter and survives even icy weather like we had last week.
@Marilynda1225 (82799)
• United States
28 Dec 16
Hummingbirds are so cute and I bet you enjoy watching them when they visit their feeder
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Dec 16
Yes they are great fun to watch, but the Anna's species is so aggressive they will not share the feeders at all.
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
28 Dec 16
Are hummers funny? I have seen them do the impatient dance. They will fly close as if to say get a move on buddy, I'm hungry. I have read they are quite smart birds who can recognize the hand that feeds.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Dec 16
I know; they do get quite tame. There are handheld feeders available that work well too. They sell them at the store where I work part-time.
@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
28 Dec 16
Great photo. I always thought hummingbirds were cool.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Dec 16
Yes, they seem so delicate but defend themselves quite well, mostly against each other.
1 person likes this
@LovingMyBabies (85288)
• Valdosta, Georgia
28 Dec 16
Aw that is so cute! =) I am sure it's so neat to watch them.
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
28 Dec 16
These are so nice to have in the area. We don't see these too much, but then-the cats are here.
1 person likes this