Mr. Bully Now Has Competition

One of the sweetest birds to photograph, for me, is the Hummingbird.  They're special- so tiny yet so powerful in flight.  Their air acrobatics amaze me.  Everything about them amazes me.  

For a few months now, there has been just one hummingbird guest at our place. When they first began coming in, during March, there were at least a dozen of them, but all of them moved on and migrated north, except for one little male that I call Mr. Bully.  He's a fierce one- he thinks all of the hummingbird feeders are his and he doesn't like to share.  Mr. Bully is not sweet, and he carries no shame in chasing away every hummer that encroaches upon his territory and his feeders.  

Mr. Bully can expect to be much busier for the next couple of months.  For several days there has been a slow influx of migrating birds returning south, where they will stay until they return to central America and southern Mexico for winter.  Fall migration for the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird usually begins in September and lasts through October.  A few weeks ago another male showed up and has been hanging around, giving Mr. Bully some competition.  Now there are at least four hummers, including him, competing for the goodies in our front yard.  Although the two males and two females are constantly at war with each other, I occasionally manage to get a half-decent image when they slow down enough to refuel on nectar or sugar water. 

Mr. Bully is pictured in the first image above.  The remaining images are hummingbirds that have recently arrived.  They all seem to love the dwarf Hummingbird Bush, or Hamelia patens Compacta, also called the Scarlet bush or Fire bush.  This is the first Hummingbird Bush included in my summer garden and I'm very impressed with it.  It has tolerated our summer heat without any issues and requires little care other than routine watering.  I'll definitely plan to purchase another one next year and grow my collection of them. 

I plan to post more photos of these beautiful little creatures soon.  I wish you all a wonderful week ahead.