Hummingbird young of the year – the majority of hummers at the feeder in mid-summer

Hummingbirds swirl around my head as I sit out on my patio in the morning. Most of the time the Costa’s male is chasing away at least two young birds from the feeder. Sometimes it is just one that comes to check me out.

                I was reading the newspaper one morning when I heard the hum of wings. The young male Anna’s hummingbird was ‘reading’ the back page of the newspaper.  I put down the paper and he moved to look at me, his throat spot shining a brilliant rose-red in the morning sun. Since the young male has only a few token feathers of color on his throat, it can’t yet be called a gorget.

                When I see multiple hummers around the feeder and no one is chasing them away, I know I am looking at the young. Like the young human, they don’t yet have the hormone changes that will turn them into breeding adults. That is why they have not yet developed the strong territorial instincts of the adult.  

A young Anna's hummingbird sits at the feeder

She is joined by a young male Anna's, the patch on the throat and the size identifies it.

And they happily drink together

             


During migration the vast majority of hummers I see are the young of the year. These can be hard to identify, unless they are a species that the male immature has distinguishing marks or they are old enough for the adult feathers to begin appearing.

Young Costa's feed together, newly acquired colors and size identify

                Most hummers migrate as individuals. Once in a while I will see a group that seems to be traveling together, at least they come to my feeder at the same time, but not often. It is hard to fathom how such a tiny, young bird can find its way hundreds of miles and not get lost. Not only do they manage it, but they also find feeders along the way. Are there billboards in the sky directing them to the nearest feeder?

                The sad part is that most of these young will not see next year. The death rate of young birds is well over 90%. A pair of birds may produce three clutches a season. Those clutches usually consist of two eggs each. If all are successful, that pair alone will produce six new birds. Yet the population of birds is not growing. Adult hummingbirds live an average of five years, with some banded individuals recording as much as 12 years and still living. The young usually don’t make it, which is what keeps the population stable.

                I try not to think about the fate of the tiny young visitors to my feeder. I just enjoy them while they are still with me.

               

Costa’s Hummingbird on the outlook - Fly catching from the tomato cage

It was Friday afternoon, July 26. At 5 o’clock the temperature on my patio was 96 degrees, the humidity was 25%. Clouds were covering the sun, as thunderstorms were reported on Mt. Charleston. The gnat-like insects must have been out in full force because the Costa’s hummingbird was having a great time eating as many as he could catch.

Costa's hummer watching for insects

Showing his purple head

He sat on the top of the tomato cage, which holds a yam plant, and watched for flying insects. When he saw one that was close he flew out from his perch, grabbed it and then came back. Sometimes he was still in the process of swallowing the insect as he sat on the upper rim of the cage. If it was an extra large insect he would work his bill until he got it down.

I stood at the sliding glass door, camera in hand. I didn’t want to go outside and risk having him change positions. So I was snapping pictures with the zoom just strong enough to pick up the details without losing too much clarity. Since I use a Canon PowerShot SX160 that puts it at about 24X zoom. That is plenty for hummers at the feeder, but pushing it for those at the corner of my property.

The sun wasn’t shining because of the heavy cloud cover to the west. Therefore the light was diffuse. This created prefect conditions to bring out the color of the Costa’s gorget. With light coming from all directions the color was not isolated to just one spot on the throat; it was visible all over the gorget and even on the top of the head.  This was the most brilliant display of color from a hummingbird that I have ever seen. Now I can only pray for more opportunities like this one with more species of hummingbirds here in Las Vegas.

Hummingbird feeder activity – Competition is the name of the game.

Costa's hummingbird sits on a neighbor's palm tree watching his feeders.

Hummingbird populations are at the peak of the year in mid-July in Las Vegas. The young of the year are on their own, looking for good spots to feed, the adult females are mostly free from the rigors of raising kids and migrating birds begin to show up. Competition at the feeders becomes ferocious. The resident Costa’s is working overtime trying to keep other hummers away from ‘his’ feeders. The yard is filled with moving dots going every which way, as the Costa’s chases them off the property.

The Costa’s normal sentry post where he sits to keep an eye on the feeders is low – on the tomato cage (that holds up a yam plant), on a low branch beneath the feeders, or on the feeders themselves. During the chase he sometimes has to take a high perch on a tall palm tree.

No matter how vigilant he is, someone sneaks in for a forbidden sip or two. It may even be two someones, as the young of the year are not as territorial as the adults. Yet as the summer goes on this begins to change. I watched as two young Costa’s hummingbirds, a male and a female, sat together at the feeder. They got along fine until the male’s budding adulthood took over and he chased his friend away.

Two Costa's young feed together before the male chased the other away.

I put up a third feeder around the corner from the patio to provide more places for others to sneak in for a drink. All I managed to do is increase the work of the resident Costa’s. Now his has to spend his time checking out that feeder, too. But this does create more opportunities for birds to come to the back patio.

While he was away from the feeder the local House Finches took advantage of his absences by sneaking their own drinks of sweet water. And so it goes, a regular three-ringed circus.

Finches come for a sip while the resident 'owner' is off chasing other birds away.

Hummingbird Feeders – how best to feed hummingbirds in Las Vegas, NV

Attracting hummingbirds to your yard in Las Vegas is as easy as putting up a feeder. The hard part is deciding where to put it, what kind to buy, and how to keep it filled.

                When you are deciding where to put it you need to ask yourself several questions. The first is: do you know how brave hummingbirds are? Sometimes people are tempted to put the feeder in a far corner of their yard, thinking the hummingbirds will feel more comfortable feeding away from the activity around the house. Wrong. Hummingbirds are among the tamest birds around. With their quick reaction time and ability to maneuver they feel they have little to fear.

My two  feeders and the hummingbird wind chime on my back patio

                Hummingbirds aren’t shy: Two of my feeders are hanging from my patio cover. Since I have a small patio and yard, if I am outside at all, the birds have to come close to me to feed. That doesn’t stop them from coming in. The ones that spend a great deal of time at my feeder know I am not a threat. I have two, a Costa’s male and an immature male Anna’s, which literally hover right in front of my face. The Anna’s actually came within six inches of my eyes!

                The second questions you need to ask is: do you understand how tiny hummingbirds are? If your feeder is too far away, all you will see is moving spots. You will miss your chance to watch the antics of the birds as they come to feed and fight, unless all you want to watch is dots moving around.

                Keep the feeder close: In another location I had a feeder that hung six inches from my window. This was a great position to watch the birds. Since the window was the type that opened inward with no screen, it also made caring for the feeder easier. So put your feeder as close to your house as you want.

                Handling insect problems: Another problem people encounter with hummingbird feeders is that sweet water attracts ants and bees as well as hummingbirds. Both of these problems are easy to solve if you buy the right kind of feeders. Most feeders today come with a bee guard. That can be in the form of a grill in front of the feeding hole or by making the opening so small the bee can’t get to the sugar.

                Ants are another problem. Some people report they have never had an ant invasion on their feeders. I am not so lucky. In Idaho, where the ants are bigger, I had a feeder completely drained by ants in an hour’s time. In Las Vegas I went most of last summer with no ants on the feeder and then in the fall they came in full force, covering my feeder. When I washed it out, I found gobs of dead ants caking the inside. Yuck!

                Some feeders to look at when buying: There are several feeders available that have built-in ant moats. One is the Audubon made by Woodlink. It is shaped like a flying saucer and has an ant moat in the middle of the feeder. The other is a tall feeder with a cup at the top made by Birdscapes. Both kinds work on the same premise. Ants will not cross water. Fill the moats with water and the scout ant can’t get to the sugar water so – no ants.

                “Nectar:” The feed itself is easy. Just use sugar and water. No food coloring, nothing added at all. I make mine one quart at a time, since I am keeping three feeders going. I use four cups of water and one cup of sugar. Dissolve the sugar completely and then store in a covered container in the refrigerator. That’s it.

                You can mix it stronger or weaker, but I have found if I add more sugar I have more trouble with mold growing in the solution during warm weather. With a 1 to 4 solution I don’t run into that problem as much.

                Keep it fresh: I only put in a few inches of sweet water because during hot weather it’s best to change the feed at least every other day. If the sugar water sits out in the heat too long, it ferments and the birds won’t come to it. If the feed appears cloudy, change it immediately, as it is no longer good. Before  you put in sweet water, be sure you rinse the feeder well. If it’s gotten cloudy, you will need to use diluted vinegar water to rinse, then rinse again with clean water.

                Cooling weather: Remember, you don’t need to quit feeding just because the weather has cooled and most of our hummingbird species have left Las Vegas. The Anna’s hummingbird is with us all winter.

                Bon appétit to the hummers and happy watching to you!

               

Broad-tailed Hummingbird – a summer migrant through Las Vegas

The Broad-tailed hummingbird announced his presence at my feeder in Las Vegas more by the sound of his wings than by his looks. I was sitting outside enjoying the spring temperatures when this loud hum went over head. If you equate the sound of a normal hummingbird's hum to a Piper Cub, this one was a jet plane. I immediately perked up my ears and started watching for a new hummer.

                When I finally spotted him I could see he was the largest of the hummingbirds frequenting my feeder here in Las Vegas. He was also stockier than the others. Reference to my favorite field guide, Robins, et al, by Golden Field Guides (1966 edition), gave me the identification with these words ‘more readily told by the distinctive shrill metallic wing whistling than by its rounded tail and rose-colored throat.’

By Kati Fleming (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

                The Broad-tailed hummer didn’t stay long at my feeder; he was only pausing on his journey to higher altitudes. A few weeks’ vacation in Las Vegas was all he could take off from his more serious work. Once the season progressed enough for flowering bushes and plants in the mountains he moved on.

                At his summer range temperatures frequently nosedive at night. Like other hummers he has the ability to lower his metabolism and cool his body to conserve energy. Because mountain valleys are colder at night than the hillsides, the male will move up-slope at night to help his survival. The female is tied to the nest so she doesn’t have that option. Instead she builds insulation into her nest to help her stay warmer at night and keep her eggs and nestlings safe.

                In another month I will probably again see the Broad-tailed hummingbird at my feeder here in Las Vegas. In the meantime I am busy observing the antics of my resident hummers.