This is not at all what the manufacturers of this hummingbird feeder intended with the built-in ant well at the center of this particular design, but for this male American goldfinch it makes a great place to take a sip of water on a warm afternoon.
When filled with water and with the feeder hanging, the well is meant to stop ants from crossing from hanger to feeder top and ending up in the sugar-water. (The well doesn't work as an ant deterrent when the feeder is pole-mounted, however, as the ants simply come up around the outside of the feeder.)
I've also seen chickadees and titmice take advantage of this water supply, even when the hanger is being used.
(If I'm lucky, the point-and-shoot camera, shipped off last week for service, will be able to be repaired and I can use it with the telescope and adapter that fit it so I'm not stuck trying to shoot across the yard with the smaller of my two SLR camera lenses. Apologies for the too-small photos; any closer cropping pixelates the picture.)
