Hummingbird Honeymooners

One of the more interesting, and entertaining, behaviors I am observing at dinner time involves the southeast Hummingbird dish feeder. This feeder was "owned" by a female a few weeks ago or so, as has been the case for the several years it's been maintained. Lately, a male bird has been visiting, perhaps to establish his own claim on the easy-score nectar. As would be the case with Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, the female won't have anything to do with this notion and rockets out of her well-hidden perch to chase off the interloper. At the other feeders, and most often, I see this done to other females and the invader is quickly driven off. But this male is just as feisty as the feeder's "owner" and the result is a fencing match. The birds zip and wheel about in a truly hilarious bout. If Ralph and Alice Kramden were birds, they'd have to be hummingbirds: "One of these days... POW! Right in the kisser!"