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Hummingbirds

High Male Hummingbird Mortality

Male hummingbirds have a higher mortality rate then female hummingbirds. The reason for this is believed to be due to weight loss during breeding season because of the vast amount of energy needed tby the males to defend territories and also during migration.
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Dear Mom

Low Hummingbird Survival Rates

The next time you see a hummingbird you may want to admire it not only for its beauty but also for its ability to survive against the odds. Here’s why.
 
According to a study conducted by the Powdermill Nature Reserve in Pennsylvania, the average annual survivorship of male hummingbirds is 31 percent for males and 42 percent for females.
 
Does this surprise you as much as it does me? I’m sure it would have astonished my mom. I’m certain she would have been asking what can be done to improve those low statistics. While I have no answer in regard to that issue, it doesn’t mean I don’t want them to improve and it certainly gives me reason to admire the hummingbirds even more then I already do.
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Dear Mom

A Unique Hummingbird Mating Fact

It is the female Ruby-throated Hummingbird that performs the aerial display to capture the males attention and signal that she is ready to mate.  With other species of hummingbirds, it is the male that usually performs the aerial display in an effort to capture the females attention prior to mating taking place.

Does this fact surprise you?  It did me, even though I have discovered a great deal about hummingbirds in recent years.  This is the type of information about hummingbirds that I wish my mom was still alive for me to share with her.

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Hummingbird Videos

Hummingbird in Flight

This is a short video that will tell you quite a lot about what makes hummingbird flight unique.

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Dear Mom

Shoulder Surgery Today

Hi, Hummingbird here. Today’s post isn’t about hummingbirds.  I must explain my need to undergo shoulder surgery.  By the time you read this, I will have already undergone shoulder surgery earlier today.  The need for the shoulder surgery is a direct result of a fall I took while in the shower back in early January of this year.  In May of this year, I was finally diagnosed as having a completely torn right rotator cuff, thus the need for surgery. 

The surgery was originally scheduled to take place in May of this year, but I chose to postpone it due to my fear that the area where I live would experience another hurricane this year and that it would then require that we evacuate the area for an unknown length of time.  You may be wondering why this scenario would have effected  my ability to have had the surgery.   Let me explain.

I am in a wheelchair and do not have the ability to walk.  Therefore, I use my arms to help me do everything from standing, transferring and almost anything else you can imagine.  Think of it this way, I use my arms like most people would use their legs, so I did not want to have the surgery previously in the event it became necessary to leave the area.

My surgery has been rescheduled and will take place today before you ever read this post.  I am expected to remain in a local hospital only overnight, but then after that I will require an extended stay in a local nursing home for between 2-3 months, due to not being able to put any real amount of weight on the arm until then.  That’s right, I did say 2-3 months.  The exact length of my stay there will depend on the speed at which I am able to heal and my overall progress following surgery. 

I am telling you this, so that you will understand why the new post will eventually stop for quite some time following the surgery.  This will not happen immediately following today’s post because I am trying to write as many as post in advance of going into the hospital and having them automatically post on a specified date.

Thanks, in advance, for your understanding in this matter.  I will be back as quickly as my health will allow me to do so and I look forward to continuing to share with you all kinds of information about hummingbirds.