Friday, December 26, 2008

Anna's Hummingbird compared to Wolf Pack

I have come to realize that the way my Anna's Hummingbirds have been behaving during this cold spell is more comparable to a wolf pack, than anything else. Only there is no alpha female, only the alpha male in the pic I posted.  It seems he chases everyone off. He moves from the front garden feeder, to the back, and watches closely. This morning he was posted in the front, when a female came to feed, and was quite enjoying herself, when a male came to the feeder. Much to my surprise, he sat quietly, but nervous, and fed quickly, and left. I realized this guy was NOT the boss, and like a subordinate member of the wolf pack, he was sneaking in for a bite to eat. The male left, then the female, and the Alpha is none the wiser. I wonder if my Alpha has some Rufous DNA in his background. He seems to think so.
   I also heard the Redwings this morning. Much to my sorrow, they did remember my feeders after all, and are building up in numbers now. They even have gone after the Niger feeders, hanging onto the cages and trying to feed. They are relentless.
  Between them and the large numbers of Siskins that have returned (two days ago, about 150), I am going to have to give up a couple meals a day, and just have oatmeal for breakfast, simply to keep my seed supply up. Not to mention the suet demands.
  They all love me, but only for my seed. A bunch of seed diggers they are!

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