Friday Favorites ~ Hummingbirds
I love to watch birds. They are such fascinating little creatures.
I am in awe of seeing a murmuration of starlings. You may not recognize the term, I didn’t. I just googled the question, “what do you call a huge group of birds flying in the sky” and the definition came up.
I was surprised to see that murmurations (a group of hundreds to as many as thousands of starlings flying in a synchronized pattern) are considered a somewhat rare phenomenon. It surprised me because I have seen it more than once and at some point I had pictures I had taken of one.
But this favorites post is about hummingbirds.
Oh my, but what a mazing little things they are!
This handy graphic popped up on my fb feed so you can bet I will be busting out my feeder and possibly picking up another one this weekend in preparation. I will also be making my own nectar for them. It’s so simple.
Mix 1 part sugar to 4 parts water until the sugar dissolves. That’s it. You do not need to add red dye or anything; as a matter of fact it is recommended that you do not. Extra sugar water can be stored in the refrigerator until needed.
Rinse and wash out the feeder every other day and refill.
We had hummingbirds at our house in Florida. The Farmer and I would sit out by the pool in the mornings and drink our coffee and just watch them. They were mesmerizing!
Aren’t they beautiful? Here are some fun facts about hummingbirds.
1.) They get their name from the humming noise their wings make.
2.) They flutter their wings about 80 times per second.
3.) They do not flap their rings. They actually rotate in a figure eight pattern. This is what allows them to hover in the air. It is also what enables them to fly backwards and they are the only bird capable of that little magic trick.
4.) They weigh about the same as a nickel.
5.) Their legs allow them to only perch or move sideways when they are perching. They cannot walk or hop like most other birds.
6.) They have no sense of smell. Rather it is their super color vision that enables them to find flowers to feed on.
7.) They are the smallest of the migrating birds. They spend the winter in Central America or Mexico.
8.) They can travel up to 23 miles a day when they are migrating.
9.) When they cross the Gulf of Mexico they will fly up to 22 hours without stopping.
10.) They do not migrate in a flock like others birds and can travel up to 500 miles alone. But if there is a group of hummingbirds they are called a bouquet, a shimmer, a glittering, or a tune.
One day I want to go to the Rockport-Fulton HummerBird Celebration in September. These two Texas coastal towns are the last stop before the ruby throated hummingbirds head across the Gulf of Mexico in their migration. The residents plan and prepare for the birds all year by planting gardens and landscaping for the little fellows. They say it is not uncommon to see over 100 birds in a yard during this time.
Can you imagine how amazing that would be to see?
For now though I will get my feeders ready and stay on the lookout with my camera to see what I can capture. Last year I managed to snag a few shots but the hummingbirds here were much more skittish than the ones in Florida. I had to shoot mostly through one of the kitchen windows which made for a nice effect at least.
Do you watch for hummingbirds?