More Battling Hummingbirds, a Bunny, and a Butterfly
Oct. 1, 2024: My back porch has a lot going on these days
My last email featured hummingbirds fighting over specific feeders. This email shows that sometimes the hummingbirds will fight over territory rather than just nearby feeders. I have a Rufous Hummingbird that has been staying in my yard. Rufous Hummingbirds are known for being very aggressive. This one will often perch in one area under the canopy of mesquite leaves.
One morning it spent a considerable amount of time returning to perch on one specific twig. From there, it would look for nearby hummingbirds and dart after them to harass them. In this sequence, it was watching an Anna's Hummingbird that approached him to challenge him.
The Anna's came in swiftly in attack mode. The Rufous changed his posture, ready to respond. His wings are lowered and his tail is turned up. Compare that stance to what he was doing in the photo above.
The Anna's flew over the Rufous, a more dominant position, but the Rufous was ready for the challenge. The Anna's was almost completely out of the shot but I thought this peek at its bill and body was fun to see.
After the intruder was chased off, the Rufous Hummingbird settled back down on that morning's perch.
A Cottontail Rabbit sought respite from the day's heat by resting in the shade and coolness under the pots in the back. I wonder whether it is aware of the resemblance to the nearby "bunny" standing guard.
American Snout Butterflies have made a recent appearance in my yard. Their numbers increase here towards the end of the summer. Ned Harris did a write-up on these butterflies for the Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists: https://sabinonaturalists.org/critters/american-snout-butterfly/
American Snouts can look similar to a dried leaf, with the elongated "snout" looking somewhat like the stem of a leaf. Another friend of mine, Steve Kessel, wrote about American Snouts in his blog: https://sonoranimages.wordpress.com/2018/09/02/american-snout/
Among the many species of butterflies we have in Southern Arizona, the American Snout may be the easiest ones to identify- at least for me they are. That snout is a unique feature.
In my recent email, I stated that hummingbirds could not "step sideways". Their feet have evolved in support of the birds' incredible flight abilities so their feet are lighter and smaller. However, I was reminded by Douglas Everett (creator and owner of Hummingbird Market https://hummingbirdmarket.com ) that hummingbirds can, indeed, step to the side and shuffle their feet. In addition, Doug shared a link to a video of an Allen's Hummingbird walking:
Hummingbirds are fascinating birds and we are fortunate that southern Arizona is home to so many species. Another wonderful local resource for information on hummingbirds is the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory (https://sabo.org ) run by Sherri Williamson.
Finally, a reader sent me this interesting article about some recent research on hummingbirds: https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/09/hummingbirds-thrive-on-an-extreme-lifestyle-heres-how/