Hummingbird display

[Patricia Valdata]

I'm used to seeing male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds do their U-shape display flight in spring, but I was surprised to see one do that at this time of year in front of the coral honeysuckle in our yard. It turns out a Chipping Sparrow was in the vine. When it flew onto the lawn, the hummer continued doing the display over the sparrow, coming within inches of it, until the sparrow flew into a neighbor's tree. The hummer followed it and harassed it a bit more until the sparrow flew away.

I always thought the U-shaped flight was just a courtship display. Apparently not!

Pat Valdata

Crisfield, Somerset County

[Bill Blauvelt]

I had one doing that about two weeks by our hummingbird feeder ago and thought it was odd. We do have lots of Chipping Sparrows, but I didn’t notice any at the time. The feeder is at the edge of the woods, so a nest or fledgling could have been very close. 

Bill Blauvelt

Friendsville, Md

Garrett Co.

[Jack Saba]

Birds of the World says RTHU "often" display toward and chase passerines
that enter their territory.

> --
> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
> To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this group
> on the web at http://www.mdbirding.com
> Unfamiliar with a hotspot mentioned on this list? Quickly locate it
> here - http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Maryland & DC Birding" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
> an email to mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com.
> To view this discussion on the web visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/7701e18f-07eb-48fd-9b53-657023a13b03n%40googlegroups.com
> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/7701e18f-07eb-48fd-9b53-657023a13b03n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.

--
Jack Saba
Berwyn Heights, P.G. County
<jlsa...@gmail.com>