One of the last days in Maine, we saw hummingbirds going through very odd behavior. Three of them were running into each other trying to get to the feeder, and when one did they often failed to get their beak in for a sip. This feeder has a little perch by each of the four openings, something which none of them figured out in the time we were watching this trio.
We understood what was happening when one ended up briefly hanging upside down on the screen on the porch, chirping as loudly as a hummingbird can and flapping away. The little bird got untangled and went back into the fray to find a spot at the feeder. But that was the behavior of a fledgling. We must have been witnessing the first moments of a brood leaving the nest. By day's end they seem to have worked out the details - you couldn't tell if it was an older or younger bird by how well they handled the feeder.
When I arrived back at the barn for my first shift, the swallows were again dive bombing me as I went through the east doorway. It appears that one brood was not enough for the barn swallows - the same nest that had held five chicks this last spring was overflowing with four more, looking quite ready to take wing. They may be gone by the time I go out this coming week. Orders are set to not leave the riding ring door open, lest this brood ends up stuck in there for a few days like the last set.
While we were in Maine, a cougar that had started its life in Wyoming or similar was killed by an SUV in Connecticut. The cat's wanderings had been tracked from out west by trail cameras and similar sources, confirming the DNA results.
It seems less difficult for animals to live among humans than we might think.
No comments:
Post a Comment