Fumbling in the Flowers

     My favorite time in the hummingbird season is when the young birds first leave the nest. Most don't immediately go to feeders because they don't look that natural, and they take a bit of time to learn, or they'll mimic the birds that already know them. So for the first 7 - 14 days after they leave the nest, flower feeding is the best time to capture the young hummingbirds fumbling around in the flowers. Just as all young in every species have really playful tendencies, it's the same with young hummingbirds. Fear in their minds doesn't exist yet. It needs to be learned as they encounter predators. So  they do what all young do - they play, chase, and fumble around in the flowers with very little attention to what's going on around them. They can often times get themselves tangled up in awkward situations. Ungraceful feeding is often times a very clear way to identify a young bird. Adults will go to the flowers openly exposed, and avoid the ones that can get them in serious trouble. 
     I sat in an area of our garden, rich with Delphiniums, and waited for things to begin. After a few minutes of sitting still, the hummingbird movement began. They started to dance around in the Delphinium patch that was soaked in rain drops from the night before. I gathered up as many captures as possible. It was only after the fact that I noticed the tiny talons firmly gripped onto the tail end of the flower while he tried to reach the nectar. 
Juvenile male Ruby-throat hummingbird. N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. August 8, 2019.

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