Hummer & Praying Mantis

by Pat Fash
(Dennison , IL)

August 27, 2011 Illinois farm

Did you know that a Praying Mantis could catch & kill and hummingbird??

I sure didn't. We found a Mantis clinging to the top edge of our big feeder, and he was busy eating a hummer! Five days later, the Mantis was back on the feeder, but we killed it this time.

Sure sorry to lose one of our many hummers this way.

Tiny Costa Rican Hummingbird

I live in the costal Pacific Guanacaste area of Costa Rica.I have a hummingbird feeder on my front porch and usually enjoy my morning coffee watching the antics of a variety of species enjoying their breakfast.
I have a purple flowered plant growing approx 20 feet beyond my feeder. Those flowers attract a variety of butterflies and moths.
A few weeks ago I spotted an unusual visitor to those flowers. A closer inspection found that a tiny black and white(no colors) hummingbird was feeding on those flowers.He was approx 1 1/2 inches long (including his beak). At first I thought it was a black carpenter bee or maybe a hummingbird moth........but no it was a hummer ! I grabbed my video camera and captured some pretty good shots of it.
I have not yet found anyone who knows anything about him.
If anybody can help me identify this unusual little guy please let me know. In the mean time I will try and figure out how to download the movie.

"nosarasteve@gmail.com"