Design

Outside my office window today, I saw a female hummingbird hovering. She stayed quite a long time (at least for a hummingbird), moving around. I think she saw her reflection, and was wondering 'who the heck was that?' Ruby-throated hummingbirds are keenly defending their territories now, as they prepare to head south for the winter, and I suppose, wanting to load up on energy.

We've had a female hummingbird at our feeders and visiting Monarda and Lonicera flowers for some weeks. But eating lunch on the porch today, we were excited to see a pair of hummingbirds circle up and then down, and then disappear on the ground. Woo-hoo! Checking out All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), Journey North , and Operation Ruby Throa t, it seems promising that this was the final courtship ritual prior to mating, so maybe we'll have a hummingbird nest & babies in the next few weeks. Here in the Southeast, we apparently can have double broods , so maybe our pair will be producing one of these!