Hummingbirds vie for drinks in Las Vegas NV – competition at the feeder

The immature Costa’s that has laid claim to the south side feeder is not without competition. He has to keep up constant vigilance to chase every other hummer away. Despite his best efforts, some manage to slip in for a quick sip.

Sometimes a hummer can stay long enough to settle on the perch. Other times it doesn’t feel comfortable enough to make a landing but catches a sip on the fly.

Look carefully, you can see the tail wag as the hummer hovers.

These all seem to be immature hummingbirds of several species. I was able to identify on as a Rufus Hummingbird. I didn’t see any Rufus Hummingbirds last fall, so I was excited to see this one.

The Rufus hummer does not seem to stay around for long. In Idaho I noticed it would come to the feeder in the late afternoon and take over for the evening. The next morning it would feed until about 10 and then it was gone. That afternoon what seemed to be another would take its place.

Here I knew I had a Rufus on the grounds when I heard its loud chattering. In Idaho, the Rufus took over, here it has the Costa’s to compete with and can’t seem to win out. So I never get a chance to see it except briefly at the feeder. Besides the loud call, it is easily identified because it is the only hummingbird we have that has prominent rust-colored sides, hence the name Rufus.

The next day I didn’t see or hear a Rufus but I did see plenty of other immature birds. I saw another Rufus several days later when he landed and I had my camera in hand. Just as I snapped the picture, the camera decided it needed to refocus. I got a lovely picture of a blob of color sitting on the perch. The color is unmistakably that of the Rufus but the picture itself is unusable, even with editing. Alas! I still wait and watch, hoping for another opportunity before the migration season is over for the Rufus.

Another migrant that has visited the west side feeder is the Broad-tailed Hummingbird. He has only come in the evening, just as it is getting too dark to take a picture. I’ve been able to identify him by the sound of his wings. The Broad-tailed hummer doesn’t hum. The first evening I heard him, I didn’t even realize I was listening to the wing beats of a hummer. It sounded so ever much like a lawn mower! I have heard him several times since but he chooses to come when the Costa’s is less vigilant, late in the twilight of the end of day.

In the meanwhile, my south-side Costa’s has added to his perches.

He now spends his evening time sitting on a dead limb of a small tree. This is about six feet west of where he was sitting, yet still close to the ground. As I was watching him one evening, I noticed the attraction seemed to be the proximity to the grass and ground cover. Insects like to spend time in both places in the evening. And I like to spend time on the patio watching the antics of the hummingbirds in my yard here in Las Vegas.

Hummingbirds keep things humming in Las Vegas NV – up high and down low

     I was sitting outside on my back patio one morning when I heard humming, there was a hummingbird hovering right over my head.

     Immature hummingbirds have descended on Las Vegas in droves. They are bound for southern climes but, meanwhile, they find the attractions of Las Vegas feeders and flowers enough to warrant them staying around for awhile.

     For some reason they find my south side feeder to be the best. I can’t help but wonder if this is because it is a very common type of feeder and one they are familiar with. Whatever the reason, it is the south side feeder that is seeing most of the action right now. Some evenings it is surrounded by swarms of new birds.

     One young hummer has attempted to take over that feeder. When he first arrived, he found a convenient perch high up on the Cat’s Claw vine that covers the wall behind the feeder. From there he was able to keep an eye out for both interlopers and insects.

Sitting high on the Cats' Claw

Coming for a landing on the same stem.

A truly handsome bird!

     Since he is an immature Costa’s hummingbird, he soon decided to find a lower perch. He can take them unawares and chase them off in a hurry. Also he likes to fly catch close to the ground. He also likes to come to the window in the early morning to check for insects. I don’t know what attracts insects to windows but I have seen that behavior in other fly catching birds. I keep trying to get his picture when he hovers in front of the window, just feet away from me, but either my camera or my reflexes are too slow for it.

The advantage for him is that the other hummers coming to the feeder don’t notice him.

     If I don’t see him land on his perch I can’t find him,

Find the hummer! He really is in the picture!

even though I have reason to think he is there.

Close up view.

He is so small and green that he is easily lost among the leaves of the Cat’s Claw.

With his green back he's easily lost on the vine.

     Even though he has taken over the south of the yard, the adult Costa’s is still the owner of the patio. When I open the back door I often see him fly away from his perch on the plant by the door.

     As summer winds down I will see more changes in my hummingbird population here in Las Vegas NV. It takes constant vigilance to keep up with it all. And a fast camera and fast reflexes!

Immature male hummingbirds in Las Vegas NV – hanging out at the north side feeder

This year’s newborn hummingbirds are out in full force. They are old enough now that the males are beginning to grow their adult gorget feathers. The north side feeder seems to be they’re favorite hang out.

The main attraction, the sweet water!

I surmise it is because there is less competition there from finches, orioles, dogs and people. I have to go around my house to get to that feeder and my neighbors, who own the bush it is on, seldom use their front door. So peace and quiet for the birds, except when more than one hummer appears at the same time!

The bush without hummers

                When the night time temperatures cooled a little the first part of the month I opened my office window to let in the cool air. The sun was still far enough north to shine in that window in the early morning. I needed to watch for that to keep the heat from replacing the welcome cool. As I went to close the window I spotted a hummingbird sitting on a dead branch next to the north side feeder. I was able to get his picture even though I had to take it through the bug screen.

Early morning rest period

It’s wonderful what a digital camera can ignore when it focuses. The rising sun shone through the little hummer’s tail feathers. The screen caused everything to be just a little hazy, but the sharpen edit made up for that.

                Later I was able to get pictures of another immature hummer as he sat and preened himself. Wings are so important that take a lot of care. I often see the birds working on grooming their wings.

When the bill is so long, preening requires contorions

                It isn’t just the perches the bush offers that keep the young hummers coming to the feeder. The food is the main attraction. I frequently see them feeding. On day I was watching as one bird was on the feeder. A second hummingbird came up. The first flew over a few inches and sat on the twig, while the second took the exact same perch at the feeder. I f I hadn’t been watching I would not have known the first hummer had ever left, it was that quick. Then the two birds did a chest to chest ‘dance’ all around the bush as they competed for perching places.

Seed pods add color to the bush.

                Since many of my young hummingbirds were raised right here in the neighborhood, I have to assume at least some of them are nest mates. These birds are a bit more tolerant of each other than are the adults. It is not unusual for me to see more than one on the north side bush. One may be at the feeder while the other one and watches from a twig, or they may both may be on twigs at either side of the bush.

                I am trying to get a picture of more than one hummer on the bush. I’ve seen as many as three either on the bush or flying around the bush at the same time, but the camera is simply not fast enough to catch them in a photo. So I’ll have to publish without the picture. I keep watching and waiting. Maybe next time.

Costa’s hummingbird continues to entertain at feeders in Las Vegas NV – brave or foolish?

                Sometimes I wonder if hummingbirds get a little over confident. They are so quick and maneuverable on the wing they seem to believe they can avoid all dangers. I hope they are right.

                My resident male Costa’s hummingbird has certainly brought that home to me this last week. Several times he has hovered in front of the open sliding glass door on my patio, totally oblivious to the fact I was right by the door. Then he would land in the potted plant that sits next to the door.

                When he first landed there I couldn’t spot him, in fact I wondered if I had imagined that he had perched there. Maybe he had really flown off so rapidly I hadn’t seen him go.

                Then came the day I saw him sitting on the plant. He was well hidden from me by the foliage of the plant. I grabbed my camera and took some pictures. I knew that he would barely be visible, but I didn’t want to lose my chance. I assumed he would fly off if I got any closer to him.

If you look just to the left of the bright spot you can see the hidden Costa's hummingbird

                Now I had photos of a very well hidden Costa’s hummingbird. If you didn’t know to look for him, you’d only see some close ups of green leaves. Yet I figured a well hidden hummingbird is better than no record of his choice of perch.

                Later I went to slide the door open. I didn’t even realized the Costa’s was on his perch. I had opened to door part way before he flew away. Hmm, that meant he probably wouldn’t mind my getting closer to take his picture after all.

                When I next spotted him perched on the plant I carefully approached, camera in hand. At first I stayed back a bit, but when that didn’t perturb him I moved even closer. Finally I was only four feet away from him, looking down. He was perched just two feet from the door and two feet above the patio floor – I measured it after he left, just to be accurate.

Same bird, same perch, but a whole lot closer and above.

                All the while I snapped away he looked one way and then another. He was watching for the delicious gnats that spend so much time around my plants.

The plant, minus the bird.

                I was delighted to get his picture so close up, but I am also just a little nervous. I hope his absolute faith in his ability to move faster than any predator is well founded. Every day when I hear him whistle or see him fluttering like a butterfly as he makes his quick turns to grab the next juicy bug, I am relieved that he really has cause for his confidence in his abilities at my feeders here in Las Vegas, NV.