A Little Respect, Please

     Ziggy, our dominant male Ruby-throat, had come to a point where chasing others out of the garden was no longer necessary. He needed to conserve energy and start fattening up for the long Southern journey ahead. He retreated to one corner of the garden and chose the feeder and flowers closest to him to defend until his departure. He tucked into the Lilac bush and remained there until his next feed 15 minutes later. 
     A youngster appeared in the area where our Nasturtiums were blooming profusely. The young hummingbird clumsily fluttered in and among every flower. Ziggy was nearby and witnessed the whole ordeal.  He gave the odd squeak as a warning, but the youngster refused to listen.  The color and nectar was far too much to succumb to the warning "chips".  The youngster refused to fly away, but instead chose to fly right up to Ziggy and perch one foot away. "Are you my papa?".  It was enough to set Ziggy off.  He lowered his head, pointed his bill at the little antagonist, and wagged his head back and forth.  The little one knew what was coming but chose to disrespect his elder.  The reaction of both was at lightning speed.  They burst into flight and Ziggy was gonna teach him some respect.  A minute later Ziggy returned to his regular perch and waited for his next feed.  The youngster still couldn't refuse the Nasturtium nectar, but this time found a perch just a little further away from Ziggy.
August 9, 2019. N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Juvenile male Ruby-throat hummingbird.

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