I was
coming back across the street from getting my mail. It was January 8, 2014 just
after one in the afternoon, the sun was shining and the temperature was about
59 degrees. As I crossed the street I heard a loud, high pitched ‘plink’
followed by a zeezeezee sound. I have never heard that ‘plink’ before. It was
so loud I couldn’t help wonder if it was a mockingbird.
As I
listened I decided loud or not it had to be a hummingbird because of the
zeezeezee sound at the end. I could tell it was coming from my neighbor’s Fuji
apple tree. When I got closer to the tree I spotted the bird. He was sitting on
a bare branch at the west edge of the tree.
Anna's female at the feeder January 7, 2014 |
I was
wondering why he was ‘plinking’, after all that was, in my mind, associated
with courting activities. Warm weather or not, it is still January in Las Vegas
NV and the weather is still winter. It’s way too early for any courting to be
going on.
I
noticed that there was a second hummingbird. This one was rapidly making almost
pendulum swings in front of the sitting bird. Now it did appear as if it were a
courting display, except for one problem. During a courting display the male
makes the call as he swings by the female. The female sits there quietly
watching the aerial antics of the male. In this case it was the sitting bird
that was calling and the rapidly flying bird that was quiet.
I stood
there in front of my open garage watching and suddenly the sitting bird flew
towards me. Well, I thought, this should prove interesting. He landed on a
perch in my bare flowering plum sapling. He was only about six feet away from
me at eye level. I could see it was a mature male.
Then
the second bird came up. He was moving so fast I could only assume it was a
male. The perched male flew up into the air and the two birds performed a dance
for me. They flew together, interacting but not seemingly fighting. Then they
both flew away. I went in the house and grabbed my camera, but, of course, when
I got outside they were both gone, not to return for their pictures.
Now the
question was: were they Anna’s hummingbirds or Costa’s hummingbirds, since both
frequent my feeders. I leaned towards Anna’s because the zeezeezee sounded like
the song that I hear every morning and afternoon when I walk my dogs. I have definitely
identified this as the Anna’s song. I Since had never the ‘plink’ heard before
I could only guess.
Thank goodness
for the internet and apps. I got my iPad and pulled up my Audubon Guide to
Southwest Nature. There I went to ‘birds,’ then hummingbirds, then Anna’s. This
app has recordings of both the Anna’s song and the male’s call.
When I
played the 12 second recording I knew. My bird was definitely an Anna’s male
hummingbird. Why he was calling, what the second male was trying to accomplish
by displaying and what they were doing dancing together remains a mystery.
Maybe they were practicing for their spring rites. After all, in January we all
start thinking about spring in Las Vegas NV. Isn’t it just around the corner?
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