Summertime in the Rockies where time moves slowly, as lazy afternoons fade into twilight, you might catch me enjoying a cold beverage on the porch at my cabin watching a hummingbird ballet. We’ve got a plethora of exotically plumaged hummers prompting me to do a little research on who my sparkling visitors are. If you’re not interested, I understand – move along to the next column. But if you’ve got a minute or two, you might discover a couple fun facts about this diminutive wee beastie. Maybe you’ll even drum up enough interest to pick up a small feeder for your own porch and enjoy the kaleidoscopic energy they bring to your yard. If you’ve never been close enough to a hummingbird to get pooped on, you don’t know what you’re missing. But more on that later.
There are over 350 different species of hummingbird, so the first thing you’ll notice at your feeder is a size differential and color variance. Unlike their human counterparts, the brighter, more colorful ones are usually the males. Most hummingbirds range from less than an inch to about 2 ½ inches in length and weigh less than ¼ ounce. Fully half their length is in their tail and beak. You’ll also notice a buzzing sound when a hummer passes by. That’s because their wings beat anywhere from 50-80 beats per second, to as many as 200 beats per second in a dive. They are also the most agile and maneuverable birds on the planet. These miniature helicopters are able to fly forwards, backwards, and even hover in place, because their wings rotate in a figure-eight pattern. Amazing little creatures for sure.
Typically the first to show up are male Black-chinned hummers (which actually have a brilliant purple spot on the throat) followed soon by Broad-tailed hummers. Bright and colorful, they’re usually pretty chill and don’t mind me sitting just a foot or two away while they feed. In fact there are times they get quite inquisitive and will zoon to within inches of me and hover for a look-see. If I’m wearing a hat with red on it, they get even more curious. I’ve actually had one or two perch on my hat thinking my head might be hollow and filled with sugar water. They might be right.
Which brings me to the part about getting pooped on by a hummingbird. They don’t actually poop but they do urinate a short, quick stream of colorless fluid that is the byproduct of digested nectar or sugar water. If they are close to you when they decide to cop a squirt, well, you might just get soaked. Not really. It’s such a miniscule amount you won’t even notice it unless your sharp eyes spot it in flight. And if they’re that close to you, you’re going to be much more hypnotized by the iridescence of their feathers, the blur of their wings, and the fact that their beady little eyes are looking directly into yours.
By early summer some big copper-colored guys show up and take over the feeders, dive bombing and chasing away the smaller birds, disrupting whatever feeding order has been established by the earlier arrivals. If a copper-colored guy is feeding, the others keep a polite distance. If a little guy is feeding and a copper-colored guy shows up, the little guys take off in a buzzy, perching up in the Aspens hoping the big guy leaves a little something for them. These copper-colored guys are called Rufous Hummingbirds, also known as Copper Conquistadors. That makes sense.
Turns out they get their belligerence naturally. They’re starving! By some measure these pugnacious little beauties travel further than any other migratory bird species, going from as far as Alaska to Southern Mexico and Central America and back. When you consider that their wings beat anywhere from 50-80 beats per second and they sometimes fly for 200-300 miles between stops, you can understand why they get a little aggressive about their food. While I figured my birds show up and stay for the season, they might actually only stay in one location a week or two, just long enough to build up their depleted energy reserves to tackle the next leg of their journey. Knowing this, I’ll cut them some slack for bullying some of my smaller, more colorful visitors.
I’ve also tried a number of different types of feeders to entice them and found that the simple clear tube with red cap and base with yellow flowers and little footrests is best. The little perch enables them to rest for a moment during their frenetic travels so they don’t have to hover and burn off energy whilst trying to build up energy. While there are only five or six hummingbird species that hang out at 10,000 feet elevation, together with the red-breasted Robins, the brilliantly blue Stellar Jays, the startling blue/white of the Magpie, the yellow and red Tanager, red-headed woodpeckers, and the various colorful finches, sparrows and grouse, the avian pallet of my front yard is something to behold. So grab yourself a $6.99 feeder, mix up a little sugar water, and enjoy the antics of these brilliantly hued acrobats. In California you’ll find they hang out year-round and will entertain you as long as you feed them. Kind of like your kids.