Aerial display

Fox Mike · Jul 24, 2017

I have the great pleasure today to watch two hummingbirds do an aerial display that would put the Blue Angles to shame. It was two ladies doing it which surprised me. I always thought that it would be one of each sex or two males having at it. I noticed that they were going into the two Leland Cypress trees I have in my front yard. I wondered if they were 'protecting' their territory from each other. They swooped, and dove, and hovered, and pecked at each other, and then would stop, and one would sit on the frame where the feeder is located and the other in a nearby tree. Then in a few minutes they would start again. This has been going on now for two days off and on. The wife said that I should get a video of them. I told here there was no way I could keep up with their movements. Very impressive little creatures!

coach · Jul 25, 2017

I have a feeder outside our dining room window and a mimosa tree in full bloom off the corner of the house so we get a pretty good show all summer. They are feisty little birds. I agree they are too quick to be able to get much video of them. Even stills would be hard unless you had a camera set up ready to go.

contender · Jul 25, 2017

Miss Penny captured 2 females in flight,, fighting,,, and it's a great picture. Set up the camera in a general place they fight,,, and video away. You will get some good footage. Here ya go.

Cholo · Jul 25, 2017

They are amazing birds! I watch the dog fights every day at my feeder. There's never more than one at a time feeding. I wonder how the pecking order is established? Aggression is everything, I suppose :)

Mike Armstrong · Jul 25, 2017

WE have a constant "Battle of Britain" around our "butterfly bush" (it's become a tree) in July outside my home office window: hummingbirds, bees, wasps, butterflies, and skippers all fight over the blossoms. Oddly it's the skippers, the second smallest contestants, that often end up chasing the others away (for a minute). And they don't have beaks, stingers or even jaws!

Great aerial shot, Contender!