Hummingbird social?

Posted Wednesday, September 9, 2009, at 8:21 AM

I just witnessed a rare hummingbird aerial dance, or at least I never noticed it before. Maybe 8-10 birds were slowly hovering around the feeders and flowers but none were eating and none were fighting or bombarding each other.

The best way I can put it in human terms is that it seemed like a "social". I wish I had been outside to hear if they were chatting, not that I would understand, but....

This went on for about 10 minutes and now they are all gone. I did not notice if they moved the party elsewhere or just broke up. Has anyone else noticed this behavior?

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Steve, yes I have noticed it here in Knoxville at my feeder. We have had five hummingbirds do just what you were talking about and I have been intrigued by it. Also I have observed several times in the last few days one or two birds sitting on the perch at the feeder, and what I thought was a bully hummingbird picking on the other bird or birds. Evidently that was just some sort of ritual.

-- Posted by leeiii on Wed, Sep 9, 2009, at 3:34 PM

I was telling someone about that a couple days ago. It happened at my feeder a couple years ago. I wish I had my video camera handy. It was like a dance. Beautiful.

-- Posted by Equinepro on Wed, Sep 9, 2009, at 4:28 PM

Thanks for confirming others have seen it. My wife was thinking I had found new medication. In fact, I was checking my bottles too!

-- Posted by stevemills on Wed, Sep 9, 2009, at 5:13 PM

Bedford Ramblings

Steve Mills

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Steve Mills and his wife have one daughter and live on a farm outside of Bell Buckle. They previously owned two coffee/ice cream shops, currently operate an internet sales company and teach classes, but his primary job involves the paper industry worldwide. Hobbies and interests lie in gardening, photography, recorded music and of course, their pets.

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