I observed one of the R.-t. hummers (female or imm.) that visit our feeder
chasing non-hummers this morning. The first victim was a T. Titmouse. The
hummer was diving at it as it flitted from branch to branch. This lasted for
about 1 min. before the Titmouse flew away. The Titmouse was at least 25' away
from the hummer feeder and the hummer's perching sites the entire time.
The second victim was a Ca. Chickadee, who apparently ventured too close to the
hummers perches. The Chickadee was less bothered by the attention than was the
Titmouse, but also gave in and flew away after about 30 sec. of being harrassed.
I've seen hummers buzz song birds that were right at the hummer feeder drinking
from the ant trap or clinging to it, but not this sort of extended harassment.
Scott Priebe
Springfield, VA
