Most people lounge on their back porch for some time of peace from the modern-day, hectic pace. The breeze, grassy aroma and birdsongs satisfy the soul in a way that housework, ballgame wins and job promotions can't.

But in my backyard, there is war. We have four hummingbird feeders that my animal-loving husband keeps full of human-made nectar. For such a small area, four would seem to be enough. But the hummingbirds are not into sharing.

Sitting on my back porch is like sitting in a lilliputian battle front with miniature helicopters humming overhead.  I have even seen a female perch on a limb watching guard over one feeder, chasing off any perceived enemy. The scene was exhausting and stressful just to watch. 

Recently, we almost had a casualty as one of the female hummingbirds was caught in an abandoned spider web. She struggled to get free prompting the other birds to chirp in an anxious tone, bringing my attention to them. That's when I saw the captured warrior.

I carefully held the fragile victim in my palm while I pulled at the gluey web. I was nervous as I tried to keep the bird from dying from shock or pulling out needed feathers along with the web. I didn't get them all in the first try as the bird dropped over six feet to the ground, flopping around, after jumping off my palm. 

But the second web removal surgery worked. The little lady gained stability as she flew to a neighbor's tree. 

The lesson to be learned here is that refusing to share can make you waste a lot of energy protecting your food and get you into some sticky situations.

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