Each spring/summer I feed the ruby throated hummingbirds that spend time in Western Pennsylvania. Each year, they visit the feeders and plants throughout the day, darting off to the woods after each feed. They seem to be particular to some big tulip trees.
This year (actually this past week) there has been a hummer “living” on my back porch, six feet away from the feeder. (S)he feeds, then sits on the rope of my skychair . When I step through my door, he flies off, but returns the minute I go back inside. This behavior has been going on all day, every day, for the past 3 or 4 days! Last night I looked out at 8:30 and he was still there!
He is always in the exact same spot. My gf thought I was exaggerating, so I took serial pictures yesterday, documenting that he was there every 15 minutes for 3 hours (4 to 7 pm).
I assume he just wants to be close to a food source. Anything else you might suggest would be interesting/appreciated.
It sounds like (s)he is being extra territorial. I know the ones we have at our feeder (last year I counted 8 birds at one time) fight pretty strongly for space and access. Yours may just be staking a claim. We don’t have anything that close to the feeder that they could perch on and your chair just may be the perfect vantage point.
Lilly, Queen of the Universe, found a hummingbird nest last summer with a single egg in it. It was very, very, very small and one of the coolest things I’ve seen.
My grandparents have a nest on their porch this year, on a tiny wind chime. I hope to get down there to take some photographs sometime while it’s there, but it’s a wind chime, so it may already be gone.
We have lots here in San Diego. For one of our Girl Scout meetings last year we invited a local animal rescue volunteer and she brought a hummingbird chick she was raising. It was unbelievably tiny and cute.
We also got to watch a mother sitting on a nest we discovered in a local botanical garden. We didn’t peek inside when she went to feed, because we didn’t want to freak her out, but I don’t thinks the egg(s) had hatched yet.
They can be very territorial and will even buzz people, if they feel like it. I’ve had one get close enough to feel a breeze.
There’s one in a tree near me - I’ve seen the female fly to it multiple times. Unfortunately, it’s not really visible (even with binocs) and inaccessible (about 40’ off the ground).
Not long ago, I started a thread about birds who built a nest on top of my door. They’re still not eager to directly confront humans, but they DO guard their nests, and will return to their posts the moment you leave.
Somehow, I think a hummingbird nest will be tough to spot (y’know, what with 'em being really small and all) :). If you know any birdwatchers, invite them over and they’ll be happy to look around.
Hummingbirds are assholes; I can watch them for hours. Rowdy little fuckers, all Napoleon complex and pointiness. I once saw a hummingbird fly up below a robin on a wire and poke him in the ass.
The little guy is still hanging out! I have mentioned him to a few friends. Two people have stopped over and were surprised to see I was not exaggerating. He was there late last night as it began getting dark, and when I awoke this am, he was at his post again! If he is not there, all you need to do is wait a minute and he returns.
I tried getting a pic last night, as he was sitting there and my dog was sleeping on the porch right below him, but I couldn’t get a good shot through the storm door’s glass.
As has been said, this is very typical behavior for a hummingbird defending a territory. They will sit on one or a few perches next to a food source through most of the day, and attempt to chase out anything that enters the territory, including other hummingbirds, insects, and much larger birds or other animals. (I have seen hummers attack macaws, other birds, and even a large lizard.)
I did my thesis on hummingbird territoriality in Panama. One of the results was that hummingbirds will defend as much as they possibly can, even if it is in excess to their own needs.
It looks to me like the hummer in the photo is a male, though it’s too dark to be sure. If it has a red throat, it’s a male.
