Flying Jewel

During June this past summer, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds swarmed around like insects at my cabin in the Longs Peak area of Colorado. Then, in mid July, the Rufous Hummingbirds showed up and took over. They were the bullies on the block; bigger and more aggressive than the Broad-tails. They owned the feeders for several weeks and the Broad-tail visitors decreased dramatically.

Male Broad-tail

Female Broad-tail

How tiny must the bones in those feet be?! I've had one sit on my finger before and I didn't feel anything. Certainly not the claws gripping my skin and the weight of the bird was barely detectable.

And the Bad Boy himself, a male Rufous Hummingbird

He could keep an eye on his feeder from this branch and dive bombed any bird foolish enough to challenge his ownership of the juice--hummers and woodpeckers included!

Tom Bradley © 2015