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.