Monday, August 8, 2011

Hummingbird Courtship


Yesterday I saw as many as five hummingbirds around the feeder at once.  Then today I realized that the male ruby throat had begun to do the courtship dive.  (I took a second brief video after this one in which you can see him lead a female off behind the cone flowers, but after a little verbal misstep on Facebook I decided not to post it!)

Maybe there will be little hummies before the end of summer!

I have been informed that it is too late in the summer for hummingbirds to be mating.  Instead, this behavior is resource guarding as they work to bulk up before their southerly migration.  Guess that's why I've never dated a ruby-throated hummingbird!

4 comments:

Tomi said...

Do you think the Kardashians in the background are suitable to give the hummers advice?

Johanna said...

Oh! I was hoping no one could tell what was on the TV. You see, hummingbirds enjoy a little entertainment TV when they're courting. It's a known fact!

Melissa H. said...

And naturally, all the Up Next videos are of Hummer SUVs. Including one from a Hummer dealership in Germany, if I'm translating "fartechhummerhaus" correctly.

Also, my word verification word is "hyper". Perfect for hummingbirds!

The JR said...

I luv seeing them in my yard. Cool.