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Herons demand their personal space. When they get too close to one another, fights can occur. I always look for one to break out when a heron flies in and lands within a group at the marsh.
The avian action started early Friday morning (12-9-16) on my back deck. I had taken the hummer feeders inside for the night to keep them from freezing. It snowed Thursday night/Friday morning and the hummers were anxious for me to hang the feeders back outside. After I did, three hummers began fighting over them.
After lunch Terry and I went to the fishing pier. A common murre came in fairly close and offered the opportunity to photograph it diving. It is interesting to observe the diving techniques of the various birds that fish by the fishing pier.
Western grebes continue to be present as well as a red-necked grebe. Two swam side-by-side for comparison. Left: western. Right: red-necked.
A female kingfisher had been perching on the rail just a few feet away while we were sitting in one of the new shelters. We startled it when we stood up and it flew to the breakwater.
Snow shots at Brackett's Landing north.
Golden-crowned sparrow.
It's not easy being an alpha male hummer. Dexter, my backyard hummer. spent much of Wednesday (12-14-16) defending "his" feeders on my back deck.
The primary intruder appeared to be a female. The action got very intense shortly before sunset as the temperature dropped below freezing and both birds wanted to fill up before settling in for the night. I hate to see the two hummers fighting over two feeders as they are expending energy that could be put to better use. I may relocate one of the feeders to the front of the house to cut down on the skirmishes.
I doubt moving a feeder to the front of the house will make any difference, Bill. We have a feeder in front and in back - the hummers still have skirmishes front and back....nature of the beast
Terry
Guess what I found Thursday (12/15)? I had just pulled in to the parking lot of Deer Creek Park in Woodway when I saw a golden-crowned kinglet working a nearby tree. The photos are not as good as I had hoped as it was very dark in the shade and kinglets never stand still.
The hummer wars continue to rage on my back deck. Friday (12/16) I positioned myself to photograph the action. Dexter, the alpha Anna's male that has claimed my feeders, employed two strategies to fend off the two females. One strategy is to perch on the feeder and drive away the approaching females. Sometimes he didn't need to leave the feeder, he would just raise his wings and screech.
The second strategy is to perch on a nearby branch with a view of the feeders. From this position he would swoop down on the females after they landed on the feeders. This offered the best opportunity for photos, as I would just focus on the perched female and keep snapping as I waited for Dexter to swoop in. Sometimes his screeching or the buzz from his wings would give me a brief advanced warning.
The two females developed their own tag team strategy for dealing with Dexter. While Dexter was chasing one of them away from the feeder, the other one would fly in for a drink before Dexter returned.
Saturday afternoon (12/17/16) Dexter had to contend with brief snow flurries as well as the cold. I have been bringing the feeders inside at night to keep them from freezing.
It was cold Sunday morning (12-18-16) as this female Anna's hummingbird was drinking from one of feeders. I have been bringing the feeders inside at night to keep them from freezing.
Focus on the hummer.
Focus on the thermometer.
Focus on the wall halfway between the hummer and the thermometer.
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