Hummingbird wars

War has broken out on our patio between a few small hummingbirds that look like this...

and a larger one with different plumage that looks like this.  It may be a different breed but my guess is that it's a male. You can see him here on the wire waiting and watching. He has taken it upon himself to guard the feeder and keep it for his own use.

It all started about ten days ago when we replaced the old red liquid in the feeder and a couple of little females began taking turns with the nectar.  I think the word has gotten out though because the level of the syrup goes down faster and faster each time I fill I fill it up. It's now lasting about two days.

This is the scene of the ongoing battle. Every time one of the females swoops in, the bigger brown bird swoops in right behind them and chases them away. He's a big bully and doesn't know how to share at all.  We've been trying to help the little females who are more used to us being on the balcony by shooing him away when he chases them.   They are getting more wily by the hour, sitting on the little spikes that stick out from the wall and quickly dashing in for a sip while he's further away.  In fact he's trying to guard both our feeder and the one across the street.

It's entertaining and sometimes a little bit unnerving when several of them swoop in at once.  I'm considering taking a break from filling the feeder but I think at least a couple are nesting in the bush just below the railing and I want to keep seeing their activity.

I'm off too boil up some more syrup for them and fill the feeder again. But before I do I'll leave you with a photo of the moonrise over Mazatlan last night. We were upstairs at our neighbours again for another shrimp barbecue.

And here is Sue this morning at the mercado.