Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Battle of the Trumpet Vine

This morning I noticed a hummingbird hovering around the trumpet vine that covers one corner of the deck. It is a popular spot for them, and one reason we put it out there was to attract hummingbirds. What was a little unusual was that this one did not just dart in, poke, sip and leave. It appeared to be visiting every single trumpet on the vine. The visit dragged on and on, to Cassidy's benefit because I was absentmindedly rubbing her back as she perched on the sill of the dining room window through which I was observing the action.

Then another hummingbird flew into the picture, swooped down and perched up in a neighboring tree for a minute. After which, it came down and tried to pick at trumpets on the opposite side from the other bird, but Bird 1 was having none of this. There ensued a certain amount of Bird 1 and Bird 2 flying at one another and taking turns perching on a tree. Eventually they chased one another off completely.

They are tiny but territorial, that's for sure.

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