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Dear Mom

The Bahama Woodstar Hummingbird

Well, once again I never cease to be amazed by all the amazing things I continue to discover about hummingbirds.  Today was no different.  I discovered that hummingbirds can even be found in the Bahama Islands.  This is something I myself did not know before today.  What about you ?

Here below you will find some of the many fascinating discoveries that I made about the Bahama Woodstar Hummingbird.  I hope you will enjoy making them as I myself did.  This is the type of information that I am sure my mom would have loved to have also discovered and that I would have enjoyed discussing with her.

The Bahama Woodstar Hummingbird is considered to be a medium sized hummingbird, even though it is only between 3 and 5 inches in length.  It is the most common species of hummingbird found in the Bahama Islands.  Although very rare, this species of hummingbird has been known to occassionally be seen in south Florida and it usually will be found around gradens located there.  Lastly, the Bahama Woodstar Hummingbird is known to nest all year round and does not migrate.

Categories
Hummingbirds

About the White-eared Hummingbird

The White-eared Hummingbird is rarely known to breed in the United States and they are usually found in the high tropical mountains.With this particular species the male weighs more then the female, with the male weighing 3.6 grams to the females weight of 3.2 grams.

The White-eared Hummingbird is known to winter in the mountains of Mexico.Although quite rare, this species of hummingbird has been observed in the following states:Arizona,Michigan,Mississippi,New Mexico,and Texas.

If you think you have seen a White-eared Hummingbird here is a brief description of what both the adult male and female looks like.Hopefully, this should help you with the identification process of the particular hummingbird you have just seen.

The adult male has an emerald green back and breast, purple crown, iridescent blue-green chin, prominent white ear stripe, red bill with black tip.

The adult female can be described as having the following: a green back and crown, white breast and sides with green streaks, prominent white ear stripe, and a red bill with black tip.

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Dear Mom

Hummingbirds and Site Fidelity

What is meant by the term site fidelity?  According to the book Hummingbirds of North America by Sheri Williamson it means the following: "the tendency of birds to return to the same nesting, wintering, or migratory stopover locations each year." Page 240.

I do not know about you but I find it to be quite amazing that such a very tiny bird can fly well over a thousand miles each way during migration and the are still able to find the exact location where they spent the summer.  Talk about having a very precise internal radar or GPS system for lack of a better term.  This is just yet another of the many astounding facts about these birds that truly amazes me. 

I think that this is something about hummingbirds that my mom would have enjoyed discovering. Every time I make such a discovery I think of my mom and our shared love of hummingbirds and wish she were still alive today for me to inform her of the latestest discovery about hummingbirds that that I have made.   It is my hope that this will also enjoy making this discovery about hummingbirds.

Categories
Hummingbird Feeders

Other Visitors to Your Hummingbird Feeders

If you are a hummingbird enthusiast, then you likely already know that the use of a hummingbird feeder is a great way to attract the hummingbirds that we enjoy and wish to attract.  Have you ever considered that the hummingbird feeder may also help attract other types of birds as well to your yard? 

I personally had never even considered that other various species of birds could possibly be visiting the hummingbird feeders found in my yard.  I automatically assumed that hummingbirds were the only type of birds that would be likely to visit the feeder.  I have since learned that this is not true.

It seems that there are several species of birds besides hummingbirds that may be seen visiting your feeders.  These include the following:  buntings, chickadees. house finches, jays, mockingbirds, orioles, woodpeckers, and wrens.  The birds mentioned are not intended to indicate a complete listing of the various species that may been found visiting your hummingbird feeders, but to help you realize that you may be blessed to have many species of birds visiting your feeders.

Happy Birdwatching to all!

Categories
Dear Mom

Teperature Near Nesting Site Important

Even within nature it is a mother’s instinct to want to protect their young.  While any parent certainly has this instinct, it is especially strong in mom’s.  That’s why I know for certain that my mom would have found this post particularly interesting and I hope you will also.

Have you ever wondered what is the most important consideration to a female hummingbird when selecting a nesting site?  Well, wonder no more because here you will discover the answer. 

The female hummingbird will choose to nest in a geographical area in which the temperatures will remain at 96 degrees F or less throughout the nesting cycle.  The reason for this is to help enure the safety of the embryos.  If the tempure were to remain higher then 96 degrees for several hours or days it would "cook" the embryos thus killing them.