Hummingbird antics pique my interest in Las Vegas NV – other birds and butterflies, too.

I just have to keep my camera with me at all times here in Las Vegas. I never know when a hummingbird is going to do something interesting.

This morning I was going to look at the north side feeder. The thought crossed my mind that I needed to carry my camera with me. Fortunately I followed that impulse. When I walked up to where I could see the feeder through the window I had to use it fast. There was a hummingbird taking a bath in the ant moat and I got its picture!

Head down gathering water on it bill from the ant moat

He sat at the side of the ant moat, which I fill before dawn every morning, and stuck his bill in. Then he used the bill to transfer the water to his body. He fluffed his wings and shook his body and then went in for more. I’ve seen this activity once before, but didn’t have my camera ready. I was so excited that I had camera in hand this time, even if I did have to take the pictures through the bug screen.

Fluffing up to spread the water, note the drops on his bill.

The north side feeder hasn’t been seeing as much feeding activity as it did earlier. I still see hummers feeding there and I still see high speed chases around it. Yet I know that feeding is down because I don’t have to replace the sweet water as often. Now, instead of having a nearly empty feeder to clean and add to, I have to dump some old feed in order to freshen the supply. The west side feeder still goes down to almost empty, but even it doesn’t have to be added to as often as it did earlier.

A young male feeding at the south side feeder.

The south side feeder has to be completely filled more than once a day. And it is totally empty when I get to it. However, it isn’t strictly hummingbirds’ feeding that lowers it so fast. Because it is a drip type feeder, rather than a reservoir feeder, it attracts the finches and other sweet loving birds.

As a finch comes to feed, the Verdin, who was there first, pulls away.

This feeder has bee-guards which also act to deter the large-billed birds, but the finches took care of that problem. Almost every time I went out to check the feeder I had to replace one or more of the guards. At first I figured they were loose and just fell off due to the movement of the feeder. Then I noticed that the little yellow guards were falling farther and farther from the feeder. I finally realized that the finches were actually pulling the guard off and throwing it away. With that, I gave up. Now one of stations is permanently without a guard. That yellow grill is sitting in my kitchen.

The Verdin goes head down to drink sweet water

The little Verdin, who first came to look for bugs, has now become a sweet eater, too. I am guessing (maybe all wrong) that it is the same individual who first came as a fledgling, but now has its adult colors.

Verdin shows his adult colors, rust color epaulet and yellow tinted face.

I still miss out on pictures because I don’t have my camera with me at all time. Last evening I was out watering my plants on the back patio. I was holding the sprinkler can over the Spider Plant when a young male hummer came to see what I was doing. He hovered right in front of my face, no more than six inches away. I didn’t dare move, but I heard me fly by the side of my head and hover there. Of course I have no picture of that. I need Google Glasses to keep up with the birds’ antics here in Las Vegas NV.