A Young Hummingbird's Story

     Life away from the nest was new and exciting. Flowers and color were everywhere, and temptation of food forced independence from his mother very quickly. He didn't want to sit around and wait for food to come to him, but rather explore the fields of food just waiting to be sampled. He spent much time in the flowers while squeaks and battles pursued all around him. He was intrigued with all the activity going on, but was soon initiated into the fast paced world of hummingbirds as the swift attacks from all directions soon involved him. It didn't take long before he too would witness a speedy hummingbird overhead and felt the need to chase it. Then the shiny red object hanging overhead intrigued him enough to give it a sample. This thing had flowers filled with nectar like he'd never seen in his short existence. The nectar went half way up the bill and didn't seem to run out like all the other flowers. He drank for a minute straight, and still the flower remained full. Then another hummingbird showed up at the feeder. Instant anger boiled over, and his "mine" attitude forced him to chase the other around the yard. He belted out an undeveloped squeak, performed his uncoordinated little intimidation arc, and let the other know that the feeder belonged to only him. He seemed quite impressed with himself has he showed off every little skill built into his DNA. He showed off to the point that he forgot about the task at hand. "My feeder"! He quickly flew back across the large garden, but on his way the anger began to boil over once again. From a distance he saw two other birds on his feeder. It was at this point that he earned his name. "Miles" was appropriate, as he came in like a wrecking ball. He bashed one off one side of the feeder, immediately turned, and smacked the other, and set the record straight to all that the feeder belonged to only him. Even Gunner retreated to a single feeder until his time to move on to a warmer climate. Since Gunner left, Miles now believes he's in charge. His little stature sure makes him cute, but his large attitude makes him fierce and one not to be messed with.
First image is Miles cleaning off the nectar after diving deep into the feeder, while the second image is him protecting his treasure right past sunset.
Juvenile male Ruby-throat hummingbird, N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. August 13, 2020. 

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