Why I feed the Hummingbirds

I love the idea that I am giving to another creature. The hummingbirds are so frail but hardly meek. They are characters and exhibit a social order. And, when I give to them by feeding them the sugar water solution I feel joy. They somehow are symbols of joy as well. And as part of this process, I secretly believe that since I am so selfishly just giving to other creatures, that somehow the good karma or benefits of my act will return to me. But, I don't think about it that much.

I love the hummingbirds as I feed them and watch them come up. I still have the orange ones chasing away many of the other hummingbirds. Sometimes, I'm a bit ashamed to admit, I throw rocks at the aggressive orange ones. But I know that my aim is poor and the birds reflexes and speed will well protect from the possibility of actually being hit. Again, I yearn for a return to an abundant feeder where all of the hummingbirds come up together and dance and share like a festival for hummingbirds.

The Golden Hummingbird

The other evening I didn't refill the feeder for half a day, hoping the agressive hummingbird would go away if there was nothing to defend. I sat outside with no feeder for a while and noticed that the aggressive bird was not around. Then a black headed hummingbird came up to drink, finding no feeder, then flew away. The aggressive part-goldbird with the shortish beak didn't appear to drive this one away. I thought it was a good sign so I went inside to prepare the feeder. I returned the feeder to its normal position in the tree, just outside my door and waited. I think a green hummingbird came to drink, but it wasn't long before the agressive hummingbird appeared. What was I to do? How could I resolve this tragedy? Thoughts of trying to capture or even kill the aggressive hummingbird crossed my mind. But no, these were no solution. I just had to wait, be patient and observe. Besides, who was I to judge or fully understand hummingbird social behavoir.

After a while, however, the next morning I noticed the appearance of the "golden hummingbird." There is only one of these. It seems related in color to the aggressive bird who has much more green on it. The golden hummingbird is all gold with just a bit of light grey below the front neck. When facing you the face of the golden hummingbird glows with glittering orange/gold feathers. The golden hummingbird is aggressive too, as I've noticed in the past during abundant times in the history of the feeder. But it was never as aggressive as its green cousin. The golden hummingbird did serve to drive away the aggressive bird, as well as some of the others. But ultimately the golden hummingbird does allow others to drink, and doesn't stay at the feeder all day long. So, I think we are on our way back to re-establishing a full healthy symphony of hummingbirds returning to the feeder. It will likely, however, take a few days. I will keep you posted.

Ants are a problem too. Ants will often crawl down the feeder and cover it getting in the way of the hummingbirds access to the feeder holes. To resolve this problem I've used a type of greasy substance to put on the wire that holds the feeder. Today I've purchased some vaseline pure petroleum jelly for just that purpose. I plan to use it each time I refill the feeder.

Hummingbird Feeder

Life is miserable and full of suffering. But at least I have my hummingbirds. When the feeder is going well, there are numerous hummingbirds flying about jostling for a position at the feeder. Many times I've had as many as 8 or 9 hummingbirds at a time. That brings me to a world that I can escape into, a world of joy and feeling abundant. I sit at my chair and watch them in the mornings before work and the evenings after work. I notice their colors and other features and their behavior. Much of which I will go into detail about. But for now the hummingbird feeder is sitting in my kitchen sink. I've removed it from active duty today. That makes me sad and is perhaps a reflection of how life is going in some way.

The hummingbirds often chase each other and jostle for position at the feeder. But usually it is just fun and games. But I went away for a few days and had someone else mainain the feeder for me. But when I got back there weren't very many hummingbirds. They were all being driven away by one very aggressive hummingbird who stood watch all day chasing any others away. It is a basic green hummingbird with some gold on its tail feathers and lower body. I've been upset that this is happening, so this morning I just decided to remove the feeder. Now the aggressive hummingbird has nothing to defend, although he was still up to it this morning before work.