Date: 4/26/24 9:11 am From: Rob Blye <rwblye...> Subject: [de-birds] Yard birds in lower Sussex County - the RTHU show of a lifetime
Yesterday morning we were entertained by at least two male ruby-throated hummingbirds for several hours then a lone female in the afternoon. The males reminded us of frenzied feeder activity seen previously in Arizona or New Mexico, but never in Delaware or Pennsylvania.
We very briefly saw four hummers at once, so the two we saw frequently could have been four or more taking turns at the feeders. In our front garden we have three robustly blooming azaleas, bright pinkish red, and some orangish red nasturtiums in pots, plus three sugar water feeders. The hummers used the flowers and the feeders often with one at a feeder and one at the flowers. The unique aspect of our observation was that the RTHU males tolerated each other's presence more than we had ever seen. They even shared a perch only 6-in apart for very brief periods and did not dive bomb the other while it fed, at least not all the time. Plus at least one took a bite from the suet feeder on the same pole as the hummer feeders.
I was wearing a bright, scarlet red T-shirt while I stood next to a window overlooking the garden. One of the birds tapped the glass trying to get a better look at the huge red flower it saw through the window.
The show lasted for almost 2 hours. We then went to do an errand when we returned, the males were gone from the front but a lone female was using one of the feeders in the backyard.
We have a regular collection of yard birds which includes a flock of up to a dozen American goldfinches. Today they were accompanied by a lone pine siskin, not the first one seen this week. Add to the mix two thrahsers, a towhee, chickadees, titmice, cardinals, white throated and chipping sparrows, carolina wrens, red-winged blackbirds and a crow -- our feeders were busy.
The feeder show trumps the incessant news, if you know what I mean.
*better living through birds* *Rob* Robert W. Blye 34603 Doe Run Lewes DE 19958-3332 302 945-8618 610 213-2413 mobile
