About hummingbirds and Star Wars

Because the hummingbirds in Indiana seem to be going crazy, and I think it's because they've all watched Star Wars (the New Hope one).

One night a month or so ago, we were having dinner at my boss's home, and they have a hummingbird feeder near the big window in their dining area. And that thing was hoppin'. I'd never seen so much activity at a hummingbird feeder in Indiana. My boss lives in the country, and I chalked it up to that: "Oh we see 'em all the time." But, I sensed a disturbance in the force....

Then it was at Angela's .. she was getting amazing pictures of the hummingbirds coming to her feeder. She lives in an addition of hundreds of houses. And has a yard full of kids playing all the time. Plus, few trees. But the hummingbirds were buzzing around her feeder like the bees usually do. Aggressive little hummers--and Ang's feeder is round...like the Death Star.

Then, to the lake. A bucolic setting for sure, but the hummingbird feeder hangs on the new playset, and the hummingbirds don't care. They were dive-bombing the thing--flying at each other, flying around the playing kids, flying up by the deck where we were sitting, perching on the feeder and in the trees, then dive-bombing again. "They're very territorial," said our host. Or, Alliance rebels and Imperial starfighters defending their corner of the universe?

Last night, near my house: Yet another dog fight. My neighbor has two feeders, one in the back of her house, and one in the front. Both had pairs of hummingbirds engaged in mortal combat around them. In the front yard, the mad bombers would attack the feeder, then retreat to our crab apple tree, perch, then attack each other. Was that the battle of Battle of Yavin?

I can only conclude that, during their yearly migration to places south, they watched Star Wars one too many times, learned some x-wing fighter tactics, and applied them to their territorial battles in Indiana.
May the force be with them.

So, what are you thinkin' about? Witness any tactical battles last weekend?