Birds in the Rain

Living 24/7 in the elements has its drawbacks.

The few and far between rains have made this bird's hunt more difficult.

The bedraggled juvenile Cooper's Hawk landed in our backyard rather wet and somewhat dejected after an unsuccessful attack on the Mourning Dove flock.

All animals must deal with the elements. Whether they get stressed by the rain is uncertain.

Curve-billed Thrashers only live in a dry environment where rains are rare.

Luckily, he doesn't have to put up with this indignity that often.

Too much or too little rain doesn't faze a Cactus Wren.

The Cactus Wren rarely drinks water. Instead s/he gets all his water requirements from the insects he eats.

Rain is a threat for the Broad-billed Hummingbird though. At 0.12 ounce, a hail stone could remove this tiny bird from the picture.

Resting on a thorn in the open, this one is making the best of a wet situation.

The Abert's Towhee in a dry land, ground dwelling bird. Pairing up for life to sing in the desert underbrush, they survive on insects and seeds. Slippery rocks won't phase them either.

Hear their sweet song at:  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Aberts_Towhee/

As for the wet Cooper's Hawk, s/he might make a meal of any of the previously mentioned birds, with the possible exception of the Broad-billed Hummingbird. There's just not enough there to make that effort.

Six or seven hours later in the afternoon sunshine, he had dove for dinner.

Allan
(Click any picture to enlarge)
Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley's Guide to Birds

Broad-billed Hummingbird

Last night's frost put a curl in the bougainvillea leaves, but the Broad-billed Hummingbirds survived just fine.

The warm morning sun jolts the Broad-billed Hummingbirds into the day's activities.

Winter is a time for little more than staying alive. Resting and waiting for spring is the most one can expect of a hummingbird in winter.

Nectar means survival.

Guarding their food source is the primary goal. This Broad-billed Hummingbird seems well equipped to protect what he claims as his.

Birds are often named for a noteworthy feature of their being. In the Broad-billed's case I would assume it's his broad red and black bill. Other species of hummingbirds have more slender bills.

Spotting an intruder in his territory, he's off to defend.

This juvenile male has been hanging around the feeders and sipping nectar, whenever he could get away with it.

The gleaming Broad-billed male tolerated some nectar sipping by the juvenile, so this one may be related to him.

(Click any picture to enlarge)

It could be that or maybe he's just tired of constantly springing into action at every trespass.

Really, there is plenty for everyone.

Still, if they all shared and got along peacefully, they wouldn't be hummingbirds... would they?

Allan

Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley's Guide to Birds

Hummingbirds

The natural hummingbird food sources are running low at this time of the year. If your flowers haven't experienced a frost so far, more than likely, frost is on the way soon.

This Broad-billed Hummingbird inspects every flower and moves on quickly, so I believe he's getting very little nectar for his efforts.

He gleams in the rare afternoon overcast of Oro Valley, Arizona.

If you already have hummingbirds or would like to attract them, now is a good time to supplement their dwindling food supply. 

If you start a hummingbird feeding program, please continue it until spring when their natural food returns.

The recipe is simple. 4 cups of water to 1 cup plain white sugar... heat, stir, cool and fill the feeder of your choice.

Place the feeder near a window for your enjoyment. They'll usually return every 10 minutes for a drink. If you have more than one hummingbird, they appear in rotation.

Just be aware hummingbirds are notorious squabblers. They get very defensive of their food sources.

(Click any picture to enlarge)

This Costa's Hummingbird is one of three species of hummingbirds we get here. Different locations get different species. Arizona boasts of 15 different hummingbird species throughout the State.

Allan

Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley's Guide to Birds

Hummingbird Wars

At warp speed, hummingbirds do battle daily...Star Wars on the smallest scale.

A male Anna's Hummingbird watches from his treetop perch. He claims ownership of our backyard as his territory and he watches over it closely.

He doesn't like trespassers.

He scans the comings and goings of other hummingbirds who stop or pass too slowly, persuading them to leave before they get hurt.

His weapons are a swordlike bill and an awesome-hot helmut.

He controls his territory with all-out frontal attacks and a take no prisoners attitude.

This Broad-billed Hummingbird was one bird who lingered too long.

He received a high speed escort to anywhere else but here.

In this case the tresspasser escaped to a tree in the front yard, well away from the food at the backyard.

His only retort to this rude treatment was delivered after the fact.

This Costa's Hummingbird was similarly encouraged to leave, but the odds were more even here. The Costa's Hummingbird is capable of standing his ground against the Anna's Hummingbird, resulting in a begrudging agreement to share opposite sides of the feeder.

He's similarly adorned with an fabulous purple helmut and long gorgets, adding a dash of flare and fierceness to his look.

This first-year male Anna's Hummingbird doesn't stand a chance against the older male of his own kind. He takes flight at first sight of an attack.

He is just now sprouting the weapons he needs to defend a territory and attract a female.

Defending a territory takes a lot of energy...nectar.

Plain sugar water provides energy in a 4 to 1 ratio.

Even though I provide plenty of nectar, there seems to be a natural aversion to sharing this wealth of food.

It's a winner takes all world and the strong survive.

Aggression seems so unnecessary to an outsider, but nature plays by its own rules.

As the undisputed master of arial acrobatics, hummingbirds enforce their rules. Weighing in at only a nickel's weight, they maintain the smallest of no-fly zones. With landing gear extended, the male Anna's flutters into the treetop to resume the watch for challengers...whether real or imagined.

Allan

Credit: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds

Broad-billed Hummingbird

Photographing hummingbirds is an exercise in frustration.  It’s worse than golf!  It’s like herding cats or picking up raindrops.  If you get the light right, the bird right, the focus sharp and both wings lined-up perfectly, press the shutter quickly. If you get it right, they are magnificent! 

The Broad-billed Hummingbird is so-named for his broad bill.  Surprisingly at 0.1 ounce he's a fierce fighter! The red and black bill, although not the longest of the eighteen species of hummingbirds, is seen as a formidable weapon.  He's aggressive and bold when guarding his nectar claim and other hummers know it.

Like other hummingbirds, he is attracted to red.  The red may be a flower or the red shirt you’re wearing.  If you’re lucky, you might get inspected by one as something sweet…it’s a treat.  They are even known to inspect red car taillights as a food source.

I’ve had hummingbirds check-me-out. Their  wings humming in my ears were the first clue of their arrival. They’d hover around my head inspecting me for possible food. They are a joy to watch, but if you reach out to them they're gone in a flash.

Allan

April 4, 2012