Never a camera when I need one...

Rufus are the most aggressive, fightingest little bastards to wear hummingbird feathers. Hummingbirds, as a rule, ain't afraid of nothin' or nobody, and the Rufus will literally get right in your face and tell you so. (Hummingbirds are noisy little fuckers, especially when they're pissed off.) I had one several days ago hover about a foot from my glasses, giving me what-for. I was properly chastised, let me tell you.

But I really needed a camera this morning. I had the front door open, so the kitties could look out the screen door, watch the hummingbirds, and try to get some sun on this overcast day. Rajah was hanging by the screen door, sitting in his best Egyptian cat god imitation, when a little Rufus came down to check him out. They went nose to nose through the screen: orange cat, brown and green hummingbird.

Raj was agog. The hummingbird was not so impressed. He popped up to the feeder for a drink, and a few minutes later shot back down to take another look at Raj. And this time he opened up with the full monty: wings back, tail spread, squawking a challenge.

A Rufus doing his battle challenge looks like this:



Instead of Rajah attempting to strike at him through the screen, the encounter ended ignobly: Rajah crouching down, while the hummingbird berated him. And it wasn't the tail swishing, hips twitching 'Mighty Hunter' crouch, ready to pounce. Rather, it was the sad, tail tucked under, 'Mommy, he's picking on me!' crouch.

Hummingbird: 1. King-of-all-he-surveys: 0.