Damsel has two hummingbird feeders that hang below the eve of the patio roof right next to the RV drive. We used to get a few hummingbirds now and then, but lately, they literally swarm both feeders. We have seen up to a dozen at a time visiting the area (it’s hard to get an exact count because they move so fast).
A lot of the little birds seem to be territorial and we often see several of the tiny birds chipping away at each other as they attempt to light on the feeder. Damsel notes that the chipping noises they make reminds her of sounds made by the Star Wars robot R2D2. The sound of their wings as they fly by, also reminds her of the Jedi light sabers from the same movie series.
I’m just glad that there are no critters that make sounds similar to the C3PO droid. That would necessitate a shotgun blast or two.
I took the video late this afternoon from inside the patio screen. You can see some of the birds competing, but then a bunch of them feed at once. There are five perches and five feed holes on each feeder.
Nice little video…
We noticed the things you describe also, but if you get a chance catch a couple in what looks like a fight scene as they fly straight up…sometimes like they’re out of sight…and then one of them emerges back down to the feeder…don’t know where the other one went…we’ve witnessed this scene on more that one occasion from the advantage point of our swimming pool where one feeder hangs nearby at the end of a trellis…never caught the scene on video.
Norm
We have also seen the same behavior where two will ascend out of sight and one reappears and starts feeding. Fun to watch.