Month: October 2008

Categories
Hummingbird Videos

Hummingbird Banding in Colombia

This video combines the use of video and still highlights from a hummingbird banding workshop in southwestern Colombia in March 2007.  The workshop was sponsored by The Hummingbird Conservancy and taught by biologists from the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory.

I especially enjoyed the still highlights myself because it allowed me to see the birds up close.  There were numerous species shown on there that I had never before heard of let alone seen.  Maybe the same will also be true for you.  Regardless, I hope you enjoy the video. 

Categories
Dear Mom

Hummingbirds on the Nest

Hummingbirds lay the smallest eggs of any species of bird. Normally, the female will lay two extremely tiny eggs. To try and give you some idea just how tiny the eggs are consider this: each egg is less than half an inch long; this is half the size of a jellybean! It may surprise you to learn that it only takes between 13 – 22 days, depending on the species, for hummingbird eggs to hatch. The young birds will leave the nest in somewhere between 19-29 days depending on the species. 
 
This is the type of interesting information that my mom would have enjoyed discovering. I wish she was still living for me to share it with her, but since she isn’t I thought that I would share it with all of you instead. Hope you enjoy it!
 
On a personal note, today is my oldest brother, Kevin’s, 52nd birthday. Have a great day. Know that you are in my thoughts. I’m going to miss you very much when you move away in a few weeks. Please, promise me that you will keep in touch with the family. After all, you have no excuse not to do so because email makes doing so far too easy and quick.
Categories
Hummingbird Pictures

Female Hummingbird

Here is a female hummingbird getting a drink from a feeder.  I am unable to determine the  species of the bird.  I just like the photo because the bird seems as if it is getting plenty to drink.  Also, I like how the photo shows the wings being a total blur because they are beating so fast.  That is hard to really take notice of when you see a hummingbird yourself rather then in a photo.

No, I did not take this photo myself.  I can only wish I had the proper camera equipment and skill necessary to do so myself.  I can appreciate the beauty of such a photo though and thought I would share it with you.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

What Enables the Hummingbird to Hover?

Whenever a bird flaps its wing forward it creates forces called ‘lift’ and ‘thrust’, and it is these forces which move the bird up and forward. Hummingbirds have the ability to rotate their wings backward, thus creating downward ‘lift’ and backward ‘thrust’. By alternating flapping their wings forward and backward, the up and down forces and forward and back forces cancel each other out, thus enabling the hummingbird to hover  in one place.
 
This ability to hover is very helpful to the hummingbird because it can hover long enough to suck all the nectar it needs from a flower.
Categories
Dear Mom

Happy Birthday, Sis!

I am from a very close knit family.  In our family birthdays are to be celebrated.  Just so you know, I have three sisters and two brothers, all of whom are older than me. Today marks my oldest sister, Katia’s 53rd birthday. Can you believe it mom; your oldest child is 53 years old? I don’t know about you but I find it impossible to believe, but then again the reason for my great disbelief could also be due to the fact that this milestone forces me to admit that I myself am already 43 years old. It simply doesn’t seem possible that any of us have reached these ages already. Where did all the years go?
 
I’m not sure how Katia will be spending her special day. The last time I spoke with her, a few days ago, she had not made any special plans. That may be because her job requires her to fly quite a bit and therefore often be gone for several days at a time. I’m not certain if she is at home today or away on a business trip. Regardless, I hope your special day is everything you want and much more. After all, everyone deserves a birthday to remember. 
 
Katia really likes to celebrate her birthday. She has a tradition of celebrating her “birthday week” because she says one day is not long enough for all the celebrating that needs to take place. Well, enjoy all the celebrations and make lots of memories for yourself. 
 
Just know that I am thinking of you to day. I’m very blessed and proud to be your sister. Know that I love you very much and truly do appreciate all that you do for me.   I’m sure that all of the family is thinking of you as well, and I know that mom would wish you a happy birthday if she were here with us today. After all, mom always said that we were all still her “babies,” no matter how old any of us became.