It has indeed been an odd year for hummingbirds in my Virginia Beach
yard. For the first time I didn't have any to speak of spring and early
summer. Perhaps one visitor a month....til......mid July. Finally they came.
They
were not in great numbers like I have been reading in other postings...but they
are a wild group! I have never seen such aggressive hummers that chase
Cardinals, Chickadees, Song Sparrows, Mourning Doves and even the poor
butterflies.
My Song Sparrows are the funniest. I swear they have expression on their face.
It looks like an expression of exasperation, shock, fear and exhaustion! One
evening while sitting on the deck swing one came at me (no I didn't have any
red on) and must have decided I was too big to fool around with!
The hummers are eating everything blooming thing in the yard as well
as the feeders. My mint went to seed and they fed from its small flowers as
well as marigolds. I have never seen this before.
Of course our weather, like most of the coastal east has been really
weird this spring and early summer. I can't help but to wonder if that has
played a part in this different behavior I have seen and if this is an early
feeding frenzy before an early migration. I sure hope not!
Karen Beatty
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