Monday, February 6, 2012

Hummingbird Fever

Well... if there is any one bird that I cherish watching for long periods of time, it would be the hummingbirds... they are the smallest birds and have such a personality.  I have always enjoyed watching these delicate little creatures. 








Fireman saves Hummingbird

I've got an interesting story about a hummingbird my husband Tim saved when he was working for American Canyon Fire District years ago.  Tim and another fireman where headed to the equipment yard in back of the fire station and passed by the picnic table and found a little hummingbird laying on the ground not moving.  Immediately they picked up the little bird to see if it was dead or alive... it seemed to be alive, so they went into the station and mixed up some sugar water for the hummingbird but that didn't seem to help, the next thing they tried was to get a oxygen mask.  Tim put it over the whole hummingbird for a few seconds and the little bird started to flutter and they took the oxygen mask off and the little bird flew away.  They were very happy that they were able to help the little hummingbird.  Tim couldn't wait to tell me about the whole experience since I love hummingbird so much!      



















Bumble Bee Hummingbird - the smallest bird in the world. Males of the bee hummingbird living in Cuba weigh 1,6g, and their length is 5,7cm, Half of length make a tail and a beak. Females are a bit larger.


They are very mobile, fervent and unaccomodating birds also they are extremely courageous in attacks on the larger birds, especially in period when they care of baby birds.


They fly extremely fast - up to 80 km/h. They doing to 80 swings in a second. At rest the heart of the hummingbird usually work with frequency of 500 blows in a minute, and during physical activity of 1200 and more beats in a minute. The maximum life expectancy of the hummingbird is 8 years. They eat every ten minutes.


Bumble Bee Hummingbird in the right light, the head can appear a beautiful magenta colour.






Hummingbirds are fascinating creatures, but there are many facts about them that make them astonishing and unique.  There are more than 325 hummingbird species in the world.

A hummingbird’s brilliant throat color is not caused by feather pigmentation, but rather by iridescence in the arrangement of the feathers and the influence of light level, moisture and other factors.


Hummingbirds cannot walk or hop, though their feet can be used to scoot sideways while they are perched.


The calliope hummingbird is the smallest bird species in North America and measures just 3 inches long. The bee hummingbird is the smallest species and measures 2.25 inches long.








I stumbled on this site and just have to share it with you...  This is a must see!!!  There are so many interesting photos of all sorts of birds displaying the beautiful feathers and sky acrobatic maneuvers! There are other pictures of wildlife also at Roy Hancliff's PhotoStream.  Roy's site is so interesting you have to visit it soon and see his beautiful pictures.  Roy also has a website where he displays his photography work and where you can also buy some of his pieces at www.royhancliff.com .  If you just want to view his hummingbird photo's.... just click here Roy's Hummingbird Collection .










I have always had several hummingbird feeders around my yard just so I could sit and watch these little hummers as much as possible while relaxing in the yard.  When I moved from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Southern California almost a year ago I gave my hummingbird feeder and the iron stand to one of my good friends their in Baton Rouge named Theresa.  She was really having a hard time with us moving away...  So, I gave her something very meaningful to me to ease er feeling of loss.  

















Calliope Hummingbird is the smallest bird in North America, are are slightly bigger than you thumb.  Calliopes do have one habit that makes them somewhat easier to photograph, if they have a perch they like, they'll come back to it over and over again, what a great place to get a photograph of the beautiful little birds.  Measurements for both sexes - Length 3.5 in= 9 cm, Wingspan 4.3 in= 11 cm, Weight 0.1–0.1 oz= 2–3 g
 
Now spring is around the corner and here in SoCal we have already seen hummingbirds at the end of January!  I think tomorrow I will go buy a hummingbird feeder and iron hanging stand for the feeder. 














We hung the hummingbird  feeder in the back yard a couple of days ago.  We have have the little hummers in the front yard every day since the last day of Janurary now, they love the flowering bushes in the front yard.  On the 5th day... I saw one hummer in the back yard up on the hill where there is trees and flowering bushes are... but I don't think they have found the hummingbird feeder yet.  




A Flock of Hummingbirds


I found this site of Abigail and her little hummers.... how amazing is this!  Check out her site here...
http://www.abigailsings.com/hummingbirds/ This is one of her pictures below.  I enjoyed these beautiful pictures from her site.


I read that in September 2006, Abigail Alfano of Pine, Louisiana, trained these ruby-throated hummingbirds to feed from her hands. These hummingbirds had been visiting her hummingbird feeder. I'm envious, but I don't have her patience.




This is truly amazing...  hummingbirds are territorial and don’t “normally "hang out together.” I guess they do when they’re migrating.  These hummingbirds live in Louisiana, where the motto is the Cajun term laisse le bon temps rouler-- or "let the good times roll."  Here, they hang out on their own Bourbon Street before they head onto southern Mexico for the winter.






Peaceable kingdom in Louisiana. Usually, ruby-throated hummingbirds will fight off rivals at the feeder, but here they are hovering together and also overlooking the fact that a human is literally handing out the treats, a cup of sugar water.




 










Male Costa's Hummingbirds 



I stumble on this site and was so impressed with the time and effort and most of all patience that went into this amazing experience. Thank you so much Scoott for sharing your story.  I would like to share it with you and hope that you would take the time to check out his video's and photography, just amazing to say the least! I hope you will check it out!  Scott Kemp takes amazing pictures and video's of Alaska and the wildlife that lives there.  He really captures the true essence of the beauty of these amazing hummers...  Alaska and it's wildlife.  I found this on YouTube and then I went to their site below. 

 Scott and his wife Angela own the Saultry Lodge in Ketchikan, Alaska where Scott took this amazing video of these little hummers.  Scott also has a exception photography website where he sells his beautiful and breath taking photography of Alaska ~  Alaska Grand Photography, By Scott Kemp. 


Below is his story of  

Taming the Alaskan Hummingbird – The Story Behind “The Shot”
 
 
A hand fed Hummingbird video that is amazing!   These hummingbirds were filmed at their lodge in Alaska, no feeder required!   They stated... at their lodge in Alaska they have TONS of these little birds in the summer.   Did you know their heartbeat can be as high as 1200 beats per minute!   These adorable hummingbirds eat right out of their hands.  While setting up their cameras for some more hand feeding, these two little hummingbirds gave them this beautiful shot called "the shot".   The majority of hummingbird arrive after migrating from Mexico, looking for feeders along the way, so with that being said they probably don't see the babies hummers being born in their nests so far north.  I'm sure the babies are born along the way going north for their migration.   They also stated they don't use red dye anymore... They use 4:1 ratio of water to sugar only now.  You can learn more about "The Shot" on their website for the Saultry Lodge. 

       I think that the Saultry Lodge would be a nice place to visit and experiene it's beauty for yourself.... What a marvelous vacation this would be!  I would just love to visit Alaska (in their summertime).  I think their winters might just be to cold.  I've experienced Montana winters and I know that it is colder in Alaska!  
Tim, my husband has always wanted to go to Alaska for a vacation.   It is so beautiful there from what I've seen in pictures.... really back to nature.. The Great Outdoors!  



   

   
 
 
When the early Spanish explorers first encountered hummingbirds in the New World, they called them
joyas voladoras--or "flying jewels."

 
 
 
 


Hummingbirds, like this steely-vented hummingbird that live in Costa Rica, are nearly always on the go.



 
The male Costa's Hummingbird is recognized by his purple head and neck.


 
This Purple-throated mountain-gem hummingbird has wings that vibrate 20 to 80 times per second.
 
 
Fiery Throated Hummingbird       
 
 
      
 
A male Anna's hummingbird is distinguished by a ruby red patch on its chin and head.
 
This male Rufus hummingbird is ready to drink up the nectar in the Cape fuchsia. Rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) has the longest migration route in the United States. The next hummingbird you might find in your backyard.  

There are about 330 different species of hummingbirds. Most of them live and remain in Central and South America, never venturing any farther north. Only 16 species of hummingbirds actually breed in North America.
 

Hummingbird Gardens
Great sites for information on plants that will attract hummingbirds.
This site gives you everything you need to know about hummingbirds.  What plants attract them, migration maps, pictures of each species/physical descriptions/plumage/distribution of each species in each state that they travels or species listed by state and province, and much more.
How to create a California Hummingbird Garden ...  Native Plants that attract Hummingbirds.

    How to Attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies to your Backyard... Hummingbirds are particularly fond of bright red flowers, and did you know that Bee Balm and Cardinal Flowers are two of the hummingbirds' favorite nectar sources.
         
 
 
World of Hummingbirds... has a wealth of information on hummingbirds and the migration patterns, behaviors, habitats, and such.  


 
Here is some more useful information about Hummingbirds and  a Nectar Recipe for those who would like to make hummingbird nectar from scratch and not buy it at the store anymore. 




 
 
Here is an real amazing story I found on youtube and just had to share!
 
Rescued Baby Hummingbird 

Youtube video from kandwarf's Channel 

 
Here is a young man that is well on his way to being a real good father when he gets older.  This is what he said... This is a baby hummingbird I rescued after it was attacked. The song is "Better Together" by Jack Johnson. UPDATE!!! when she thought she was ready to leave (and she was) she flew off to her favorite patch of the back yard, and her instincts instantly kicked in, and now she's just like all the other hummingbirds. for those that are concerned that she has imprinted on humans and wouldn't survive in the wild, don't worry, she is thriving. She has even successfully migrated and returned back to my yard. For those who think I didn't know what I was doing, I did NOT feed her plain sugar water.  I went outside 3 times a day and caught flies from my compost bin in big bags, crushed them, and mixed them in as well. I also helped her learn to catch flies while flying (not in the video because you obviously wouldn't be able to see the flies). In the end, I don't think it could have worked out any better.
This site is also pack with lots of information about the little hummers too!
Here are just a few (several) hummingbirds youtube videos that desertnut's channel has listed.  There are several more just on hummingbirds alone!   There are to many to list!
Go view and Enjoy!
 
Hummingbird In A Nest 
Baby Hummingbirds Hatched Today!  


Mother Hummingbird Feeding Babies 
Baby Hummingbirds - First 21 Days 

 
I hope you enjoyed my blog about bijoux précieux-- --or "precious jewels."
Take good care of them an they will return next year to visit you again!
If you have stories about these beautiful little hummers... please share them with us, we would love to hear them.

No comments:

Post a Comment