Immature and mature hummingbirds at Las Vegas NV feeders – the numbers keep increasing

                The feeders around my house are busy indeed. Hummers come and go. Some come for a quick sip and then fly over to more important duties. Others come and stay for awhile, taking a good long drink and resting themselves for a moment.

Just taking a sip.

The first of the three hummers.

The second hummer, the adult male

                I was watching them one evening and taking pictures. It was fifteen minutes after seven in the middle of June. I snapped a picture of one male sitting on a perch feeding. He took off and then came back again, less than a minute later, for another drink – that is what I thought, at least. I took several more pictures of him, I could see it was an adult male Costa’s, before he again left me. A few minutes later an immature hummer came and sat at a perch on the other side of the feeder and stayed long enough for me to get several shots in.

                When I downloaded the pictures and put them into the photo editor, I thought I had made an error in selecting the picture. The picture that I assumed was the first of the adult male Costa’s turned out to be an immature male just getting his gorget. I didn’t think I was that unobservant that I mistook an adult male for a juvenile. I went back to the original pictures and found out what had happened. The bird that left and then came back immediately – didn’t. He took off and was quickly replaced by a totally different hummer. That second one was the mature adult Costa’s. Whew, that saved my sanity!

The third hummer.

                The supposedly second hummer, who was really the third one, was a different bird than the other two. I find that pictures are essential for me to keep track of what’s going on at my feeders here in Las Vegas.

                Despite the fact that I have four sweet-water feeders around my house, the hummingbirds still like to sip nectar from flowers. Even the tiny lantana flower attracts them. One day I was out to check on the feeders when what I took to be a female hummer, came up and flew within a few feet of me looking for any insects attracted to the finch feeders. She hovered around them and then went and sat on the hook holding the feed sock, watching me all the while. Next she flew down to the purple lantana on the left of the sock sipping a little nectar, then to the orange lantana on the right of the sock, where she got some more nectar. Finally she flew off. All the while I stood like a statute waiting for her to finish.

The best photo I could get!

                This year I don’t seem to have any one bird that owns the sweet-water feeders. I don’t know if it is still too early in the year, or if I really am going to go through the summer with no hostile takeovers. One can only wonder when it comes to birds, but there is a marked difference this year with the feeders.

                The finches use the feeders frequently to rest on in the shade. They also use the ant moat as a water supply and whenever they can, sneak a little sweet water for themselves. The hummingbirds have learned to coexist with the finches and ignore their presence. The hummer drinks on one side of the feeder while a finch rests on the other side. The hummers have had to learn tolerance, maybe this has spread to other hummers as well.

A hummer feeds while a finch rests in the shade.

                I’ll be watching as the summer progresses to see what other surprises my hummingbird friends have for me here in Las Vegas NV.