Photo by Chris Bosak
A Ruby-throated Hummingbird eats at a feeder in Danbury, Conn., summer 2016.
Here’s is the first of a few posts featuring photos of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. A few birds I write about on a regular basis really seem to resonate with readers and the hummingbird is definitely one of them. So why not feature these little birds with a little photo series? Each day I’ll post a new one. Some from this year, some from year’s past.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Ruby-throated Hummingbird hovers near a feeder in Danbury, Conn., summer 2016
Here’s the latest For the Birds column, which runs weekly in The Hour (Norwalk, Conn.), The Keene (NH) Sentinel and several Connecticut weekly newspapers.
..
The smallest of birds often provide the biggest entertainment.
I’m talking about hummingbirds, of course, and they are big, big on personality even if they are small in stature, weighing in at about an eighth of an ounce. Yes, a small fraction of an ounce, which is the smallest American standard of weight. Thank goodness for the metric system so we can put a whole number on this tiny dynamo. Hummingbirds weight about 2 or 3 grams, about the same as a penny. Not a handful of pennies or five pennies — one penny.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Ruby-throated Hummingbird eats at a feeder in Danbury, Conn., summer 2016
I have been enjoying immensely watching hummingbirds this spring and summer at my backyard feeder and in the garden now that the flowers have bloomed – at least those that the deer didn’t get to. The only problem is that “my” hummingbirds are very territorial. Usually I see only one male at or near the feeder with the occasional female showing up, too. That was especially true this spring. They are not quite as territorial now, but are still very feisty toward other hummingbirds that show up.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the fall as last year the feeder was dominated by one female. She tolerated nothing from other hummingbirds, even those that dared fly over the house in the general vicinity of the feeder. Will the male remain and dominate, or will he fly off and the female dominate? Or will the male stick around and the female push him out? Or will they tolerate each other and share the sugar water, which is my hope. Or … OK, enough ors for now. As I said, we’ll see what happens.
If you don’t have hummingbirds that act like they own the feeders, you have a greater likelihood of seeing hummingbirds in late summer or fall because of simple mathematics. In the spring the adults pass through or settle in our area. In late sum Continue reading
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Ruby-throated Hummingbird hovers near a feeder in Danbury, Conn., summer 2016
All summer a lone male Ruby-throated Hummingbird has been visiting the feeder in the back yard. This week, however, a female and younger hummingbird showed up as well. Only one eats at a time, however, as the adults are very territorial.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Ruby-throated Hummingbird eats at a feeder in Danbury, Conn., summer 2016
Here’s another iPhone video of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. I posted one last fall, too, but this one is much closer. Wait until the end to see the close-up, slo-mo.
Here is a quick Hummingbird video I threw together with my iPhone. Since it was done with the phone, the quality isn’t great, but not bad for a quick little video.
It is also the launch of my “Merganser Lake” series. More on that coming soon.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Ruby-throated Hummingbird perches on a feeder at the Errol (N.H.) Motel in the summer of 2015.
A highlight of a recent camping trip with the boys to New Hampshire was watching the hummingbirds at at the Errol Motel. The feeder was active with three females and two males (plus an aggressive yellow jacket.)
Here are a few more shots of the birds: Continue reading
Photo by Chris Bosak
A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird sips juice from a berry in Norwalk, Conn., summer 2014.
Here are some more photos to accompany my most recent column in The Hour (Norwalk, Conn.) and The Keene Sentinel (Keene, N.H.)
Click below for more photos
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Black-chinned Hummingbird visits flowers this fall in Fairfield. Black-chinned Hummingbirds are native to western U.S. This was the first one recorded in Connecticut.
Shamelessly copied straight from an Audubon Society press release (The photo is mine at least):
Audubon Invites Volunteers to Help Track Hummingbirds This Spring
NEW YORK, NY (April 1, 2014) – With spring officially upon us, the National Audubon Society invites birders and nature enthusiasts across the country to help track the health of hummingbird populations with Audubon’s Hummingbirds at Home app. This citizen science project utilizes the power of volunteers to compile data at a scale that scientists could never accomplish alone.
Every spring, numerous hummingbirds migrate long distances and must eat several times their weight in nectar daily to stay alive. Hummingbirds visit our yards every year, looking for nectar from our gardens and feeders. As flowers bloom earlier because of warming temperatures, the impact on hummingbirds which rely on nectar could be significant. The degree Continue reading
Birds of New England.com 