I marvel at God’s creation on a daily basis. Hummingbirds are just an example of God’s work that is truly a wonder. I don’t have a birdfeeder but my neighbors do and those little balls of fluff are really buzzing at the moment. Mom and I have a lot of Lantana that is in full bloom now and those flowers are just covered with the hummers as they are getting ready for the big migration south.
In preparation for the big migration, they make sure they pack themselves full of nectar and insects. Those small birds have to be strong to make such a long flight. Even though hummingbirds are tiny, they have huge appetites. Hummingbirds consume between 3.14 and 7.6 calories a day. That may not seem like much, but if humans (who may eat 3,500 calories a day) had the metabolism of a hummingbird, they would have to consume approximately 155,000 calories a day. That’s about 77 times as much as most humans eat! The hummingbirds’ need for lots of calories is because of their high heart rate and small body size.
Also, when hummingbirds make this incredible journey, they prefer to travel alone. Unlike geese or ducks, traveling in large groups doesn’t increase their chances of survival. Only one bird can feed off of a flower at a time, so waiting for every bird to feed would be a hassle and waste precious time. Also, hummingbirds are so small that predators usually ignore them, so traveling in large groups offers no extra protection. Just because hummers travel alone, however, does not mean that you will not see more than one hummingbird at a time; after all, several may be traveling at the same time and cross paths on their journeys.
They typically travel during the day and rest up at night, except in special situations like that of the ruby-throated hummingbird, which travels over the Gulf of Mexico. It takes more than one day for them to make it across, so the birds must fly through the night until land is reached. Their journey from North America to Mexico typically takes them 2 weeks.
A couple of years ago I was going through ‘painters block’. That is sort of like writers block only with a paint brush. I wanted to paint but nothing was grabbing my attention. I was watching a huge garden spider repairing its amazing web when suddenly a ruby throated hummer flew right into the center of it. It was no match for the web and got all tangled in it. As it struggled to fly with the sticky web coating its feathers it crashed into the side of my house and fell right below the clothes dryer vent. The poor little thing was now covered in dryer lint. It was trying to fly and losing the battle. I then noticed Duchess, my old queen cat, crouching into her predator stance. I was not about to have that little guy become lunch for the kitty so I went over and gently picked him up praying the whole time that he would not peck me.
It was like picking up a cotton ball. He looked at me with his little black eyes and I was looking at that wicked sharp beak. I just knew that I was going to be stabbed. My daughter Erin ran and got some sugar water as I gently pulled the spider’s web off of him and picked the lint off his little body. I dipped my finger in it and held a drop of it in front of his beak and he licked it off! As soon as I finished cleaning him, he jumped on my arm and hopped up to my shoulder. There he sat while I held the sugar water up and he lapped it up. Then he hummed for me! Suddenly he flew away into the trees and then turned around and came back and hovered in my face and hummed again. I think he was saying thank you. At any rate, I went to my drawing board and started drawing hummingbirds. I created several paintings over the next few days of tiny ruby throated hummers. It has become my second favorite bird to draw.
I still sit outside early in the morning before the heat gets to me and watch the hummers as they flit about and every now and then one will hover in my face and hum. I have to wonder if it is the same one that I saved that day. He was sent to me to inspire me to paint. God’s inspiration can be found anywhere one looks; it’s even in spider webs and hummingbirds
In preparation for the big migration, they make sure they pack themselves full of nectar and insects. Those small birds have to be strong to make such a long flight. Even though hummingbirds are tiny, they have huge appetites. Hummingbirds consume between 3.14 and 7.6 calories a day. That may not seem like much, but if humans (who may eat 3,500 calories a day) had the metabolism of a hummingbird, they would have to consume approximately 155,000 calories a day. That’s about 77 times as much as most humans eat! The hummingbirds’ need for lots of calories is because of their high heart rate and small body size.
Also, when hummingbirds make this incredible journey, they prefer to travel alone. Unlike geese or ducks, traveling in large groups doesn’t increase their chances of survival. Only one bird can feed off of a flower at a time, so waiting for every bird to feed would be a hassle and waste precious time. Also, hummingbirds are so small that predators usually ignore them, so traveling in large groups offers no extra protection. Just because hummers travel alone, however, does not mean that you will not see more than one hummingbird at a time; after all, several may be traveling at the same time and cross paths on their journeys.
They typically travel during the day and rest up at night, except in special situations like that of the ruby-throated hummingbird, which travels over the Gulf of Mexico. It takes more than one day for them to make it across, so the birds must fly through the night until land is reached. Their journey from North America to Mexico typically takes them 2 weeks.
A couple of years ago I was going through ‘painters block’. That is sort of like writers block only with a paint brush. I wanted to paint but nothing was grabbing my attention. I was watching a huge garden spider repairing its amazing web when suddenly a ruby throated hummer flew right into the center of it. It was no match for the web and got all tangled in it. As it struggled to fly with the sticky web coating its feathers it crashed into the side of my house and fell right below the clothes dryer vent. The poor little thing was now covered in dryer lint. It was trying to fly and losing the battle. I then noticed Duchess, my old queen cat, crouching into her predator stance. I was not about to have that little guy become lunch for the kitty so I went over and gently picked him up praying the whole time that he would not peck me.
It was like picking up a cotton ball. He looked at me with his little black eyes and I was looking at that wicked sharp beak. I just knew that I was going to be stabbed. My daughter Erin ran and got some sugar water as I gently pulled the spider’s web off of him and picked the lint off his little body. I dipped my finger in it and held a drop of it in front of his beak and he licked it off! As soon as I finished cleaning him, he jumped on my arm and hopped up to my shoulder. There he sat while I held the sugar water up and he lapped it up. Then he hummed for me! Suddenly he flew away into the trees and then turned around and came back and hovered in my face and hummed again. I think he was saying thank you. At any rate, I went to my drawing board and started drawing hummingbirds. I created several paintings over the next few days of tiny ruby throated hummers. It has become my second favorite bird to draw.
I still sit outside early in the morning before the heat gets to me and watch the hummers as they flit about and every now and then one will hover in my face and hum. I have to wonder if it is the same one that I saved that day. He was sent to me to inspire me to paint. God’s inspiration can be found anywhere one looks; it’s even in spider webs and hummingbirds
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