Hummingbird surprise at my feeder in Las Vegas – when I didn’t have a clue

I was sitting out on my patio enjoying the cool of the summer morning here in Las Vegas. My patio thermometer read 70 degrees, but the forecast high for the day was above normal, around 106 degrees. This was definitely the time to be outside. While I was supposedly reading the newspaper I was really watching the hummingbirds coming in to drink at the feeder.

I keep my camera right beside me when I am outside and right next to the sliding glass door when I am inside. I never know when the opportunity will come to get a good picture. And I take lots of pictures. I read once that a professional photographer expects to take 125 pictures for every one that is usable. Back in those days that meant pictures on film that had to be purchased and developed. That represented a good amount of money. Today, with digital cameras, it is so much easier and less expensive. And you don’t have to wait a week to find out what you took a picture of.

Resting between sips

Cocking his head to see while he cleans his tongue

As I sat there enjoying the coolness, a hummer came up to the feeder. I immediately grabbed my camera and focused in on him. He was drinking, sitting, drinking, and moving his bill around as though he were using it to clean off his tongue. Then I saw him lean to the side so that he could look up.

Since birds’ eyes are on the side of their heads, they have to cock their heads to see what is coming at them. All animals that are not predators have eyes at the side of their head to give them better side and back vision. This makes it easier for them to spot an approaching threat.

I kept taking pictures, hoping that what he was watching for was an insect. Maybe I might get lucky and get a shot of him taking off to fly catch. When I looked at the camera's screen to see what I had taken a picture of no one could have been more shocked than I.

It was a picture of another hummer coming in to the feeder and making an attempt to chase the perching bird away. You can see looking at the picture that the seated bird has shifted his position to be as far from the incoming bird as possible, without actually leaving his perch. He is also leaning back, his talons are holding on the top and bottom of the perch so as to brace himself and keep from falling backwards.

Sitting his perch against an invader

That picture was certainly worth the time sitting in the coolness of my back patio.