I had originally planned to post photos of our Labor Day activities, but due to a late developing story I decided to show you a few photos of our hummingbirds. During a brief break from our project I grabbed the camera and headed to the hummingbird feeders. I am trying to get the perfect shot and while I believe I acquired a couple I'm still trying. Anyhow, there were 4 hummers buzzing the feeder as I was snapping away and I noticed that one hummer didn't have any tail feathers. It doesn't seem to impede his flying, however it did appear that the others were "picking" on him/her. I don't know if that is really the case or not since they are so darn fast. I was curious about the situation and contacted a man named Lanny at www.hummingbirds.net He runs a website just about hummers, so I posed the question to him and here is his answer.
"The hummer has probably lost his tail feathers to a predator, probably a cat. Tail feathers are loosely attached, so the cat probably got a mouth full of feathers and the bird escaped with his life. The feathers will grow back in a couple weeks, and the temporary loss won't impair the bird's life too much."
So there you have it, a lesson learned about hummingbirds.
Here are a couple of shots of the birds today. I will continue to snap away, who knows maybe tomorrow I'll get that perfect shot. Remember you can double click on the photo for a large image.
 |
| taken this morning, tail feathers intake on this hummer. |
 |
| Here's the little guy with no tail feathers. |
 |
| Look at the acrobats, love the one on the feeder |
 |
| air traffic controller needed... |
Val :)
sweet little mini helicopters!
ReplyDeletecutie pies...
ReplyDeleteHave you tried using your flash? According to B and B magazine, the flash helps capture the wings and the iridescence of their feathers. Evidently the flash "freezes" the action so you can see the wings better. I still think you should get the big camera out and try some shots. My 3 little ones really like my Husker t-shirt!
ReplyDeleteHi! Remington here....thanks for stopping by my blog. Great hummer shots! They are one of our favorties! BTW -- I am going to follow you....no, not around your kitchen....just in Blogland! I hope we can be great friends!
ReplyDeleteHi, I will send you to Picnick.com then go to the text tab. You can make a free copyright there. Just play with it you will figure it out. Thats how I learned too. Have fun!
ReplyDelete