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Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Henrietta Is Back


Henrietta is a broad tail hummingbird that has to be a senior by now. Each year we wonder if she will return and so far she has. She can sit at this specific feeder just like in the photo for the longest time. Other hummingbirds will come and go but she just sits there. Broad-tails can live for up to 12 years and she has to be close to 12 now.

We recognize Henrietta because of her unique behavior since she is the only one that sits like this for long periods of time and she has a slight twitch which came from the first time we met her. She had been attacked by another male hummingbird and was left near death. I found her and kept her warm and from going into shock and talked to her for a long time. She eventually came around to where she could fly up into the aspen tree where she perched for a long time while she regained her strength.

We always watch for her each year hoping she will return one more time. Well, today there she was in her usual pose on the feeder. She is not afraid of us like the other hummingbirds are when they fly off when we go out back. We have found Henrietta to be a very strong willed hummingbird and over the years her palsy has become better to where it is hardly noticeable any more. None of the other hummingbirds seem to bother her or go after her. I think they all know that Henrietta is a protected guest of ours at the feeder.

We usually have 40-50 hummingbirds during the summer and we can pick Henrietta out of the entire flock. It probably seems pretty silly that we watch for one particular hummingbird to return each year but Henrietta is pretty special and unique. Welcome back Henrietta, enjoy your summer stay...

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