Rube was "The Man"

I sure do miss Rube.  For several years he was part of the family.  He would show up every April and stay with us until late August or early September.  Rube was big and he was beautiful, and he ruled the Spring and Summer months around the Sikes place when he was in town.  He was one of those special creatures that you run across maybe once in a lifetime if you are very very lucky.  Rube was "The Man."
Rube was a hummingbird.  He wasn't just your everyday hummingbird... he was a huge Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and he ruled his domain like none other that I have ever seen.  He was a freak of nature because of his size... one of those genetic marvels that Mother Nature seems to throw at us once every eon or so.  He was huge.  Rube was easily twice as large as any of the other hummers that come up to West Virginia from South America every year and I guess he was a bully, but you just had to love him.  When he was in  town we didn't have  lot of other hummingbirds around our feeder.  No sir, that was Rube's feeder and he didn't like to share it.  When another hummer would stop by for nice cool drink of nectar Rube was off of his favorite perch like a flash and in hot pursuit of the terrified stranger who enevitably fled from this red-throated monster never to be seen in these parts again.  Rube did not share his domain with anyone... well, maybe a pretty little lady hummingbird every now and then, but the other male hummers didn't stand a chance when he was around.  No sir, Rube was the man.
Rube's favorite perch was a little branch high up in the big sycamore tree and as he sat there between nectar cocktails he surveyed his domain.  He would sit up there on his perch and rule his kingdom until he was ready for another drink of the sweet nectar form the feeder in the big mimosa tree.
I used to sit outside and watch Rube by the hour.  He was amazing.  He must have had a wristwatch hidden somewhere among those feathers of his because he kept a tight schedule.  About every 14 minutes, yes I timed him, he would swoop down off of his lofty perch and get a large gulp of sugar water from "His Feeder."  It was uncanny how it was always every 14 minutes... unless, of course, he was terrorizing the newcomers to the Sikes Saloon.  He didn't like strangers around his favorite watering hole.  No sir, Rube liked to drink alone.
I often wonder if Rube came from a really large egg (Bless his Mom is he did.) or if he started out the same size as other hummingbirds and just kept on growing and growing until he became the giant he was.  I hate to use the word "freak" to describe him, but he was definitely a freak of nature.  But he was beautiful and we loved him.
Rube was with us for several years and then one April he just didn't show up.  I would look up at the big sycamore to see if he was there every time I went outside but he just didn't show up one year and it broke our heart.  These things happen.  I guess he just got too old to make the big trip up from South America and across the Gulf of Mexico to our back yard.  The life of a hummingbird is a tough life.  No telling what happened to Rube, but he no longer rules our back yard.  We have more hummingbirds now, although none of them are as large and beautiful as Rube was.  But they are beautiful and they entertain us with their marvelous aerobatics and their constant squabbling.  We love them but things just aren't the same around here anymore.
I sure do miss Rube.  He was "The Man."  Rest in peace, buddy.