This past Wednesday (May 19) it was chilly, rainy and dark throughout the day, which is just a miserable situation for our Hummingbirds.

But, its this type of weather that often presents the best time to watch their behavior. Because energy in the form of sugar is imperative to survival, bad weather conditions tend to bring several hummingbirds to the feeder. Its not uncommon to catch brief mid-air skirmishes as one bird asserts her authority and defends her territory.

That was the scene outside my window, where I counted at least three individuals darting to and fro, with a hummingbird drinking nectar about every 4 minutes.

I feel fortunate to have attracted not one, but two ruby-throated hummingbird females to my window-mounted Droll Yankees hummingbird feeder. I had a hummingbird that would come by infrequently to another feeder last year, but I always had the feeling that my feeder wasn't all that important to that particular hummingbird.

I changed things up a bit this year. In mid-April, I purchased this type of hummingbird feeder, which looks like a flying saucer. It has two ports for nectar, is easy to fill and has suction cups for easy window placement.

I made a mistake that may have actually been a smart move on my part. In my haste to set up the feeder, I forgot to add water to the nectar concentrate, making it as viscous as karo syrup.

When I saw the first hummingbird earlier this month, I grabbed the feeder to make sure the nectar hadn't gone bad (it's really just sugar water with red coloring) and realized my error.  But, it occurred to me that in the early spring, these birds are looking for energy in the form of sugar, and would re-visit a source as high-energy as mine. That initial error in mixing may have been the deciding factor when the hummingbird chose to stake out and defend my food source.

Coming Soon: Hummingbirds and their Territory

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