Beautiful photos, Lin! I can see why they come to your yard! Seems they have the best of both worlds between your yard and your neighbor's feeders!
You should start seeing the winter migrating hummers soon, if not already, so hang feeders if you are so inclined. Feeders are important during the winter once a freeze comes through and kills back any blooming plants. The sugar water will help keep the little birds around your yard should you lose blooming plants. Some birds actually prefer feeders over blooms. That has been the case in my yard.
During migration, the adult males come first followed a week or so later by the females and then the juvenile birds show up last. Often the birds will claim an area and guard their territory during their stay in Florida. You may see some aerial fighting going on over a feeder or plants. I personally hang several feeders around my yard out of view of the other feeder(s) so that they can't see each other. It will stop the fighting among the birds over squatters rights! lol
There have been sightings this month of 2 Rufous hummers (an adult female and a juvenile male) in Castellow Hammock Park in Miami-Dade County. The adult female is believed to be a bird that spent the winter at Castellow Hammock Park last year, so it looks like she is back. And another reported sighting of an adult male Rufous in a Lehigh Acres yard in Lee County.
For those who don't know much about Rufous, they are typically born in the northwestern regions of the USA, but can be found breeding as far south as northern California all the way up to Alaska. Those that overwinter here have traveled quite a long distance, so they are a bit of a rare sight in Florida. For more fascinating facts about them, check out this link:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/g...
Hummingbirds don't flock together or form mating pairs. They are solitary birds. Often they return to their same overwintering spots and breeding grounds year after year (provided they survive each year). In Florida, we only get a small percentage of winter hummingbirds of any species, but enough to make it worth our while to host them and enjoy their visit!
