Date: 09/04/2009

Number: 1

For as chilly as our nites are becoming, 40 degrees Fahrenhiet! two nites ago, fellow hummingbird watchers and I have been surprised to see our neighborhood hummingbird families still here. There are two pair visiting my feeder, eight to ten pair at the nearest neighbor's and three to four pair still visiting the next.
I'm uncertain how many young hummingbirds may have been added this year. I'm quite certain I see only one coming to my feeder.
Our red-winged blackbirds, robins, swallows have left. Two days ago the yellow finch were grouping in large numbers here. They are now on their way. (Too quiet around here now!)
But our little hummers remain. Odd. They are adapting to the shorter daylight hours. At the break of dawn they now are the first birds at the feeders. It used to be the towhees, or the titmouse family but these are gone now as well.

A new behavior has appeared with the hummingbirds near my home. This may sound crazy but it is true. May be both.
I'm usually seated near the dining or office windows working at home in the mornings. These windows are on the same side of the house as the feeders so I have a very good view of them. I didn't consider that they may have a good view of me also. Every once in awhile one would dart to a window, pause, hover, and look in or look at its own reflection. As the summer progressed I took note of a pattern. They paused , hovered and looked in through whichever window I was seated near. It took them nearly the whole summer to 'train me' being the typical human being that disbelieves 'mere' animals communicate. When their feeder was empty they found me to 'remind me' or was it to scold me? Whichever. I learned to get out there and refill those fee

eau claire, WI

Latitude: 44.7 Longitude: -91.5

Observed by: cynthia
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