"Wendy7" wrote in message
...
Neat Pat, You know, I have experienced the same thing & found myself
asking them if they were out of juice! I have been working in the yard &
they will actually come & buzz me, then lo & behold I check & their
bottles are dry.
Cheers Wendy

I'm glad to see this. For a while there I was afraid my mind was playing
tricks on me (not really). Now I know there's at least one other person out
there seeing the same thing.

Seriously --- I've watched other birds in the yard like finches for
instance --- and they seem hard-wired by evolution to never stop and think
about things. Any noise or sudden movement will send them flying in a
cloud. Hummers are different. They're curious about things and seem to
assess 'threats' a lot more thoroughly before bolting for the horizon. And
they're individuals, not part of a pack. It's apparent they've got enough
brainpower to recognize who we are individually and that they've got certain
expectations of us. They've found a way to communicate with us when we
don't automatically do what they expect us to do. "Hey bub! I'm hungry!
Come feed me. C'mon ya lazy bump - get a move on!"

There's real evidence that there's a bit of intelligence there in those tiny
heads. I'm pretty certain they don't have a way to formulate any sort of
friendship with us and the concept wouldn't make much sense to them anyway,
or to me, but it's curious that sometimes in the afternoon when we're out on
the deck watching the sunset they'll come over and just "hang out" with us
for a little while. Very close to us --- just observing what we're doing.
And we get a feeling of acceptance. It's mutual. We accept them too. )

This all sounds a bit weird but I'll bet anybody who's had the opportunity
over time to interact with hummers can make similar observations and
conclusions.
--
Paddy's Pig