Scout or bully?

It began about a month ago. No, that's not entirely true. It began about five or six months ago when he -- I call him Scout -- arrived at our hummingbird feeders. I didn't note the day, I just know I put the feeders out sometime in April.

It was early one morning. I glanced out the patio door and there he was, sipping nectar from one of the feeders. I'd swear he was the same bird I had seen late last fall. But who could be sure? His size, and since hummingbirds all look alike (make that almost) while they whir their wings and slip that long beak and tongue into the feeder, makes identification virtually impossible.

I watched him several minutes. I'd call him Rudy. That sounds similar to Ruby, with a bright red vest he seemed to flaunt proudly.

There was a persistent pattern to his feeding regimen. He would sip nectar with several jabs into the fake flower of the feeder, then he would flit to sit on a chain that leads to a light fixture. There he would preen himself for several minutes. After glancing right and left, if birds call directions right and left, he would zoom again to the feeder. Repetition was the hallmark of the day.

I've heard, and I have no idea if it's true or not, that a scout bird arrives and helps direct his brood to the waiting feast that hummer watchers provide each year. It may be so, because two days later the whir of several delicate little creatures buzzed the deck. And who appeared to be the old red breast and continued occupying his favorite perch on the chain? It had to be Rudy, who darted occasionally to replenish his seemingly bottomless stomach. The movie, and it was a constant moving display of wings and whirs, continued several days until one day only one or two birds remained.

Occasionally Rudy, yep, I'll always call that first bird Rudy, would dive bomb the feeders, which was a trait that I thought was somewhat out of character. As I took notice, the dive bomber was selective in his bombing strafes. It seems his territory was being threatened by occasional intruders. The pattern continued until about five or six weeks ago when it appeared a flock, make that double or triple flocks, descended on the feeders.

We have filled feeders for many years, usually attracting a smattering of birds that we reported and many hummer friends. As the nectar would spoil in the heat of summer, it required emptying and refilling the feeders on a regular basis. That changed abruptly. It was refill-the-feeders three and sometimes more times each day.

The aerial feeding ballet grew in numbers as time passed. Swarms of the hummers seemed almost to line up to partake of the sugar water. It was fascinating to watch.

But where was old Rudy? Nowhere to be seen. Had he moved on or was he blending among what now appeared to be several dozens of birds?

Then the unexpected happened. We had to make a day and a half trip out of town. We filled the feeders and wondered what would happen to our new airborne guests. Upon our return after dark on the second day, a glance showed empty feeders.

I refilled the feeders, wondering what daylight would bring. It was quickly evident the menagerie had moved on to other feasting spots. I hope they found them easily, but knowing what little I know about hummers, I had determined the tourist flock was resting and feeding as they headed south, far south, for the winter.

What had sounded like a buzz saw of wings was not to be heard. Not a bird was in sight. But wait, there in his favorite spot sat Rudy. I'm sure it was him. That red breast was a dead giveaway. But Rudy had changed. Suddenly he made a dive bomb at one of the feeders. A lone hummer darted away. Rudy retired to his roost.

Talk about repetition ... that picture has continued constantly for more than two weeks. I moved one of the feeders to a distant location. That didn't faze Rudy. He changed his perching spot to a straggly tree limb and guarded both feeders. It was slip-up to one of the feeders for one bird followed by a blazing dive-bombing Rudy. Repetition has been the word. Which makes me wonder ....

Will Rudy guard his feeders for several more days before heading south? Will the other hummer give it up and venture to another spot? I've always kept the feeders in place until they were deserted with the idea they might provide some nourishment for a late migrator. I wonder if the bombing and bullying will continue. Time will tell. And then, come spring, time will tell if a lone red-breast hummer will arrive to be a scout turned into a bully. Yep, time will tell.

Dodie Evans is a former owner and long-time editor of the Gravette News Herald. Opinions expressed are those of the author.