I recently read Terry Masear’s wonderful book on hummingbird rehabilitation (yes, it’s a real thing, and she does it) Fastest Thing On Wings. In it she says that hummingbirds are nectar-fueled insect-eaters. Ever since, I’ve been trying to see them eating insects.
The insects would have to be tiny, of course, and that makes it harder.
But lately, I’ve been seeing hummingbird behavior that I can’t explain as visiting flowers or foraging for nesting material. Much as I love them, hummingbirds aren’t known for play behavior, so I’m left with hummers hunting for no-see-ums.
Because I don’t see what she’s going after.
There is no nectar further into the Blue Spruce. Her nest isn’t in there — she doesn’t hang around in that Blue Spruce tree that much. But there is that cobweb strand stretching down in the background beneath her …
No idea what she’s after. Nothing is there — unless I just can’t see it.
Today I was walking around a reservoir, and the gnats were terrible. I think the overcast skies and high humidity had something to do with the gnatty-ness (if it’s going to be this humid, can’t it just rain, already?).
And I saw a hummingbird zip by. Into the cloud of gnats.
Whipping up my trusty camera, I started shooting, essentially blind. I got one good focus on her, and the camera did the rest, which was good because she was moving fast, and changing direction so erratically I couldn’t follow. She was chasing gnats!
This photo is a little odd because I had to lighten it up so much to make her distinct.
But see how her beak is slightly open? Hummingbirds can actually pull their lower beak back into a “C” shape. Then when they sense an insect, it snaps shut …
Like that.
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