05-01-2014, 02:36 PM
Thanks for the article Sharleen (and sorry to hear about Roamie).
We love hummingbirds and put out both tubular flowers and feeders. We only have two visiting right now but typically that will pick up through summer and we can have 8 or so. Usually there are 2 or 3 that "camp out" in the trees on either side of the feeders/flowers and watch for "their" feeder -attacking any passer by that dares to try to feed.
They do actually hit each other sometimes. Usually it is just chasing and the "hidden dragon - crouching tiger" dance, but we hear them hit on occasion and it always sounds painful. Can't actually see what body part is hitting what (way too fast) but can definitely hear the "smack".
Was just given a book that details some of the facts that was in your article but also one i hadn't heard/read. I knew they can go into "torpor" (a sort of suspended animation sleep) when cold and to preserve energy, but read that when they want to go into torpor to save energy for a night of sleeping, they actually bristle their feathers to force rapid heat loss - sending them into torpor for the night. Neat IMHO.
OT - mom sees rufus in Lousiana every year - on their migration (to CA I suppose).
We love hummingbirds and put out both tubular flowers and feeders. We only have two visiting right now but typically that will pick up through summer and we can have 8 or so. Usually there are 2 or 3 that "camp out" in the trees on either side of the feeders/flowers and watch for "their" feeder -attacking any passer by that dares to try to feed.
They do actually hit each other sometimes. Usually it is just chasing and the "hidden dragon - crouching tiger" dance, but we hear them hit on occasion and it always sounds painful. Can't actually see what body part is hitting what (way too fast) but can definitely hear the "smack".
Was just given a book that details some of the facts that was in your article but also one i hadn't heard/read. I knew they can go into "torpor" (a sort of suspended animation sleep) when cold and to preserve energy, but read that when they want to go into torpor to save energy for a night of sleeping, they actually bristle their feathers to force rapid heat loss - sending them into torpor for the night. Neat IMHO.
OT - mom sees rufus in Lousiana every year - on their migration (to CA I suppose).