Mrs. Rufous

Day 243: Although they're not swarming yet, the population of Rufous Hummingbirds in my yard makes it dangerous to stand within ten feet of the feeders. Hummer wars are often engaged, males vying with one another for possession of the ports or for a female's attentions, or females squabbling over who has right of prior domain. The defeated party almost always flies off at high speed, not necessarily watching for obstacles like a human on the sidewalk. I have come very close to taking a hummer in the face on multiple occasions, and it's not uncommon at all to have my hair ruffled by the passage of wings when an abrupt change of direction has been deemed necessary by the flier. The magnitude of inbound and outbound airborne traffic is increasing daily, indicating that I should probably think about moving one shepherd's hook to the other end of the garden as a secondary destination.