Finches replacing hummingbirds in Las Vegas NV - feeders are still busy, but . . .

                Hummingbirds are relatively scarce right now in Las Vegas NV. Oh, I hear the Anna’s hummingbird singing from his high perch early in the morning. Yes, I hear the Costa’s hummingbird whistling from the bushes later in the morning. I see the Black-chinned hummer fly catching from the tallest branch of the tree when I walk the dogs in the early evening. The feeder, however, remains rather quiet. I see only a few hummingbirds drinking sweet water. The ones that do don’t stay around long enough for their pictures to be taken. Except for the Costa’s, who still uses the feeder as a perch at which he can preen himself, stretch and view the world.

Costa's getting a good stretch on his perch

                That is not to say that my feeders are largely deserted; far from it. They are in constant use, just not by hummingbirds. The House finches visit to drink from the ant moat on a regular basis. When the day is hot and the humidity is low they may come every few minutes. Sometimes two at a time will land on the feeder. I tend to think I’ve known this pair of birds since they were first fledged.

Finch getting ready to take a drink

                The only way I could be sure is if I had banded them then, but I didn’t. So I can’t know that I am seeing the same three birds every day, or perhaps I am really seeing a dozen  different birds every day, but I digress. I will assume they are my pair and their mother.

Finch drinking from the ant moat

                The first House finch that came to the feeder for a drink of water from the ant moat was a female. She would come, quickly drink and then be off. It was the middle of the nesting season, so I am sure she was grateful to have found a reliable place to get a quick drink on a hot day, before she went back to her job of being a mother.

                Then came the day that she came to get a drink, but she had two newly fledged children following her. They were recently out of the nest. She was still feeding them while they learned the skill of finding their own food. When she came in for a drink of water, she landed on the feeder, but her babies didn’t have clue what was happening. They couldn’t figure out what she was doing.

                They flew into the patio and hovered two feet above the patio floor facing the glass door, looking like oversized hummingbirds. My tabby cat was standing just inside and got a real thrill out of. Then the two babies flew into one of the potted plants next to the door and waited. When their mother flew off they followed.

Pair of nest mates at the feeder drinking water together

                Now I see two young finches come to my feeder on a regular basis. They often come together and I assume they are the same young-of-the-year that came first with their mom. I still see a single finch coming regularly. I like to think that is the mother who first came to get a drink out of my ant moats.

                I have to add, I am thankful for ants coming to my feeder. Without them I would never have bothered to get feeders with moats, nor kept them full of water at all times. I thought I was just solving my ant problem. I didn’t know that I was also benefiting two generations of thirsty birds.