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I Was Assaulted by a Hummingbird!

September 17, 2021

I Was Assaulted by a Hummingbird!
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THE FALL, 2021 24-HOUR SHORT STORY CONTEST IS THIS WEEKEND!! Our fall contest is the most popular one each year. Only 500 participants permitted so DON’T DELAY IF YOU WANT TO PLAY!!

On most nights, we spend an hour or so on the porch watching what we call “The Hummingbird Wars.” When we moved here, we hung up one hummingbird feeder. We soon realized that this one act had created what would lead to weeks of daily entertainment for us.

When we first hung the feeder, the hummingbirds were very slowly and shyly approach it because our rocking chairs were only a few feet away. About three days in, however, their hesitation had completely subsided and they were not only approaching the feeder, but flying under the porch ceiling, in front of us, behind us, over our heads, etc. I said, “It’s only a matter of time before one of them flies into one of us. Keep your glasses on so you don’t lose an eye!”

There is one bully alpha hummingbird (we named him Alpha Al) who stands on a branch on a nearby tree, and who will aggressively fly in and body slam any hummingbird who dares to dip his or her beak into the feeder. More hummingbirds will fly in. More body bumping will ensue. You can actually hear the “crack” when one purposely smashes into another one. It’s an awesome show!

We bought a second feeder, naively thinking that would give some of them a better chance to drink. Not so! We now have more hummingbirds than we can count (because they dart around so fast) and The Hummingbird Wars has become a daily double matinee!

We got braver over the weeks. We started standing right next to the feeders. Literally inches away. We can feel the wind from their frantic fluttering. We never try to touch them. We just get a really up close and personal view of them while they’re hovering and feeding. It’s SO COOL!

A couple of days ago, as I was standing inches away from our tiny, feathery friends, enjoying communing with nature, when a flock of about seven hummingbirds descended on the same feeder. There are only four holes in the feeder and Alpha Al was busy body slamming at the other feeder. All of the sudden, a gush of liquid landed on my head, my cheek, and my chest, running into my cleavage. I yelled, “He pooped on me!” My yelling, nor the family’s laughter, scared them away. It didn’t faze them at all. They just kept drinking and body bashing.

At least I didn’t lose an eyeball!

On a side note, did you know that hummingbirds poop and pee out of the same hole? You can thank THIS TEACHER for that handy bit of life-changing trivia!

REMINDER: The WritersWeekly.com Fall, 2021 24-Hour Short Story Contest is THIS WEEKEND!!!

See the link below for all past topics and winning stories. Only 500 can participate in each contest so don’t delay if you wanna play!

WE CAN’T *WAIT* TO SEE WHERE YOUR IMAGINATION TAKES US!

1st Place $300 + a Book Publishing Package from BookLocker.com! (Value: $875)

2nd Place: $250

3rd Place: $200

+ 80 other prizes!

We’d LOVE to have you join us!! 🙂

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Angela Hoy lives on a mountain in North Georgia. She is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the President and CEO of BookLocker.com and AbuzzPress, and the author of 24 books.

Follow Angela: twitter | facebook | linkedin

Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
Learn more here: https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/



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4 Responses to "I Was Assaulted by a Hummingbird!"

  1. Diona L. Reeves  September 19, 2021 at 7:32 pm

    I write on the back porch in the mornings, as multiple hummingbirds access our feeders. (I have one hanging not far from the chair where I work.) They have definitely gotten more comfortable over time. Sometimes they will even in front of me as if to say, “Good morning” or and “Thanks for the food!” I’ve gotten so much enjoyment out of watching them. My favorite one squeaks. =)

  2. Chris Hanly  September 17, 2021 at 6:09 pm

    Fastest and most accurate poopers in the south lol

    • By Angela Hoy - Publisher of WritersWeekly.com  September 17, 2021 at 7:32 pm

      EXACTLY!!!! Ha ha ha!!!

  3. Pamela Allegretto  September 17, 2021 at 5:07 pm

    Yikes!