Sharing is Good

The hummers have been in a tizzy since the rain stopped. They buzz around like a colony of bees, zig-zagging, dive-bombing, and dueling in mid-air flight. I think they feel the change in the air and know that their long journey south is imminent.

I find it is interesting that there is evidence that fewer Ruby-throats cross the Gulf of Mexico in fall than in spring, most instead following the Texas coast back into Mexico. Perhaps the hurricane season is a factor, and the genes of many birds with a tendency to fly over water were lost at sea during storms.

So it's time to enjoy the final days of watching the hummers for the 2008 season.

It won't be long before the only occupant to be noted on the feeders will be bees and wasps. Then it's time to clean the feeders and store them until next spring.

I caught this pair in a rare moment of sharing a feeder on the front porch.