Boss

One of the first things I noticed in our peaceful little Texas neighborhood, was the abundance of hummingbird feeders in several neighboring yards.  So before I'd completely unpacked our dishes or even finished arranging the furniture, I dropped by the local garden shop to buy a small, glass hummingbird feeder of our own.  And it was just hours after filling it with sugar-water that I first spied The Boss.

Don't be fooled by his name -- The Boss is relatively small among the local hummingbirds.  His colors are subdued and he looks somewhat more like a large bug than a bird.  But in no time at all, this amazing winged creature managed to stake his claim to all the sugar-water on our property!  From atop a thin twig in a tree, he can be seen at all hours of the day... watching the yard with his beady, black eyes.  If another hummingbird comes within a yard of our feeder, The Boss drops off his limb and shoots across the lawn with amazing speed.  All rivals for food are ousted in a matter of seconds -- sometimes chased all the way down the street before The Boss returns home to his post.  Hopefully these other birds are able to find food elsewhere, at one of the neighbors' many feeders... because in our yard there is only one hummingbird.  The Boss is king!