Hummingbird

[Kiwianna]

We were several times entertained by a little hummingbird that was feeding from the Bird of Paradise plants at Hojos. Its colours were not unlike those of a sparrow, but it was much smaller, in fact, when the children first saw it, they thought it was a large dragonfly.
Can anyone tell me a little about these birds? We only saw the one in Hojo's garden, although we did look out for them in other places.

 

[DangerMouse]

I wonder if what you saw was a sphinx moth, which is quite often mistaken for a hummingbird.

http://faculty.ucr.edu/~chappell/INW/arthropods/sphinx moth.jpg

 

[Kiwianna]

I wonder if what you saw was a sphinx moth, which is quite often mistaken for a hummingbird.

http://faculty.ucr.edu/~chappell/INW/arthropods/sphinx moth.jpg

The body was of nondescript colour/s, quite drab, we couldn't tell the colour of the wings which were whizzing around like little eggbeaters.
Thanks for the suggestion, though.

 

[Peri]

Hummingbirds are common in the southwest and they are delightful. California hosts about a dozen varieties of birds.

They are very small, as you know, and they feed from long flowers, such as birds of paradise, inserting their long bills into the flower and sticking out a longer tongue! We have a nesting pair in our lemon tree which returns annually and raises two chicks each year. The chicks are SO SMALL and cute - you basically only see two tiny needles sticking up over the small (about 3 or 4 inch long) cup-like nest. Hummingbirds are very aggressive and will compete with much larger birds for water, dive bombing them until they leave the fountain or pond. they also are willing to take on roaming cats!

 

[jlmarr]

We maintain hummingbird feeders in the front and back of our house, just a couple of miles from DL, and we do get some very small ones on occasion. You might have seen an Allen's Hummingbird.

Agreed with the PP that they are very aggressive and territorial. We often see one perched on a twig on the far side of the yard, keeping an eye on others who dare drink from our feeders, or rather his feeders. He'll zoom in and chase the intruder over fences and rooftops, reminding us quite a bit of some of the battle scenes in the Star Wars movies. Those little guys can maneuver.

 

[Kiwianna]

Hummingbirds are common in the southwest and they are delightful. California hosts about a dozen varieties of birds. QUOTE]

They are obviously feisty little characters, not as delicate as their appearance suggests.

 

[SleeplessInSeattle]

Every time I've been to DL, I've seen either Anna's or Rufous hummingbirds. Last time in February, I saw two Rufous near the hub feeding on snapdragon flowers. They obviously acquiesced to the presence of people and had no fears.