Hummingbird Chuckles

I love hummingbirds, and their antics always make me laugh. This year has been an unusual year for hummingbirds. I saw the first few in early April, filled and hung the hummingbird feeder next to the porch and...nothing. The feeder remained full with no more hummingbirds in sight.  Now they are back, enjoying the snapdragons and the many flowers I've planted for them as well as the feeder. But one inquisitive fellow got a bit too demanding this week.

My elderly father in law live with us, and he enjoys sitting on the front porch each afternoon. He loves watching the hummingbirds and the other birds that inhabit the garden, and he has a great view of both the flower garden and the hummingbird feeder from the porch.  Well, he sat in his accustomed chair on the porch yesterday, only to get dive bombed by a chattering jewel-green male hummingbird.  It was so bad he was flailing his arms around trying to shoo the bird away.

Every time he'd sit down, the bird zoomed in, swooped, hovered, chattered and chuckled.  Finally, we realized the problem.

He was wearing a bright red shirt. The poor bird thought there was some new, magnificent flower sitting on the porch!

Hummingbirds LOVE red.

Yesterday, dad in law had on a black t shirt, and the hummingbirds were back, happily sipping at the nectar in their feeder.

It's dangerous around here to wear red! You might get mistaken for lunch.

Today's photos courtesy of Morguefile