Except for the occasional western stray, this is the only hummingbird in Alabama.
A male flashes his ruby throat.
The females seem more demure.
A friend's mother-in-law believed that hummingbirds would sting you, and could not be convinced otherwise.
Pugnacious.
I love hummers. You got some great shots. I had to laugh at someone thinking that they could get stung by a hummer until I remembered that I used to think the same thing...but then, what else would a 5 year old think when she saw that long stinger-like snout?
ReplyDeleteHummers are such marvellous creatures arent' they? Beautiful, delicate, but boy are they feisty with each other.
ReplyDeleteI thought after reading this that you might enjoy this site:
ReplyDeletehttp://community-2.webtv.net/hotmail.com/verle33/HummingBirdNest/
I'm enjoying my visits here!
Yeah they're pugnacious! The Aztec war god was Hummingbird, or so I'm told.
ReplyDeleteFor years I thought my backyard hummingbird was an extra large bee and I would run away from it. This year it finally paused to get a better look at me and me at it.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of birds, here's a really big one.
Wow...I'm amazed you could get still shots of these guys!
ReplyDeleteWait, you mean they CAN'T sting you? Apparently my daughter is misinformed. And she knows everything...
ReplyDeleteI love the hummingbirds... we used to get some around the house, but we no longer have the red flowers that attracted them :o(
ReplyDeleteThanks y'all.
ReplyDeleteHick & MM, I guess the hummingbird stinging myth is more widespread than I thought. :)
Cuppa, yeah you think they're delicate until you see them slamming into each other at full speed. :)
Thanks Madcapmum, that was interesting. And thanks for visiting!
DPR my husband found those on sale - it was a 3-pack. He didn't realize there were no perches until he got them home. They don't seem to care though, and just perch nearby.
Ron if one wasn't an Aztec war god, it probably should have been. :)
Maktaaq, LOL. I certainly don't need a bird that big!
Lorianne, they're not as sharp as I'd like but I was surprised the camera could do this well!
Rhodent, if you have a place to hang one, you could put out a feeder. And it's super-easy to make the feeder-juice yourself: Mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup hot water. Cool and put in the feeder and they will come! Most of the feeders are red or have red parts on them.
Great pictures. Hummingbirds are cool.
ReplyDeleteSo are hummers, tee,hee..
http://kraf-o-la.squarespace.com/journal/ scroll down a bit for some lovely photos of humming birds. :)
ReplyDeleteH&B, only if they can carry a tune. :)
ReplyDeleteAnon, thanks, lots of crafty goodness there too.
That's a silly thing to think about hummingbirds. They don't sting at all. They use that long beak to gently is your blood, but that's all, you barely feel a thing right?
ReplyDeleteNice pics btw, tough to get photos as they flit about so fast.
Funny about hummingbirds stinging. It reminds me that when I was growing up on Staten Island, my mother used to warn against dragonflies, which she thought would sting us. She called them 'darning needles,' which indeed sounds like a bug that might sting.
ReplyDeletePete I'm assuming you mean "sip". :) Shudder!
ReplyDeleteTom there are some dragonflies called Darners so that's probably where that came from. It's funny the names people have for dragonflies. The family of a friend of mine always called them galinippers!