Author: Hummingbird

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Dear Mom

Tropical Storm Edouard

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Southeast Texas experienced Tropical Storm Edouard earlier today. Luckily, the storm never reached hurricane strength. Yea! The storm did have sustained winds of 65mph and some rain. Thankfully, the rain totals were not nearly as great as was originally predicted. This area received between 2 ½ and 3 inches of rain rather then the 8-10 inches that were initially predicted.
 
Thus far, all my family members that I have spoken too made it though the storm relatively well. My dad said that there were numerous tree limbs down in the yard and that one tree had fallen down, but that no damage had been done to the house. That is very good, because dad doesn’t need the hassle or stress of having to deal with that kind of matter.
 
My nephew, Duff, said that he and his girlfriend, Tiffany, made it through the storm just fine and that they had never even lost power as a result of the storm. Duff was enjoying a day off from his classes at the university because it was closed due to the storm, and Tiffany had the day off so they were getting to spend the day together.
 
As for me, the main parts of the apartment building where my boyfriend and I live were without power for a few hours earlier today. As a result, the elevators and the main lights in the building were not working for several hours. Since I’m in a wheelchair, this meant that I couldn’t get downstairs to my own apartment for a while. Normally, that wouldn’t have been a problem, but I just keep thinking what if there was a family emergency and my family needed to come get me because of it. 
 
My boyfriend is a weather fanatic and loves to follow the changes in the weather whenever there is a storm or hurricane to track, so he was enjoying tracking the storm and hearing what was likely to happen. I personally hate this time of year and wish that we could eliminate June –November from the colander for this very reason! Since that is impossible, I just keep praying that we make it though this time of year unharmed once again.
 
My mom would have also enjoyed watching the storm. She always did love a good thunderstorm, so today’s storm would have been right up her ally. She and Donald could have had a ball watching it together. I would have preferred to sleep through it myself and forget it ever happened at all.
 
I wonder if this is going to do more to cause a further decline in the local hummingbird population. I certainly hope not, because it has been in such a state of decline since Hurricane Rita that any further decline in the hummingbird population would be devastating and something that would be extremely difficult to rebound from.
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Dear Mom

Knowledge of Hummingbirds Pays Off

Yesterday evening, I was able to put my knowledge of hummingbirds to use in a way that truly mattered. My friend, Judy and her son Daniel, had discovered a hummingbird that had fallen out of its nest. The young bird seemed unhurt but somewhat dazed and confused. The mother hummingbird seemed no where to be found. Judy wanted to know how best to help the hummingbird. 
 
I told her to lift the bird along with the material it is sitting on, and place it on crumpled tissue in a small box with holes in the lid.
 
I also told her that the hummingbird should always be placed on tissue or paper towels. Do not use cloth. The reason for this is because the bird’s feet may become entangled in the cloth. You will also want to provide the bird with a low heat source, but be careful not to overheat the bird. The bird is too hot if it starts open-mouth breathing or its neck is outstretched, so be sure and watch for these warning signs.
 
Due to their extremely high metabolic rates, hummingbirds must eat frequently. A hummingbird will eat between 5-8 times per hour with each feeding lasting about 30 seconds in length.   Hummingbirds can die within four hours if not fed. You will want to feed the adult hummingbirds a sugar water mixture of 1 part sugar to four parts water. Hummingbird babies can’t be fed sugar water or commercial hummingbird nectar for more than 24 hours because this may cause the young hummingbirds to develop crippling deformities.
 
As the old saying goes, “knowledge is power.” My knowledge of hummingbirds enabled me to be able to provide Judy the information she needed to be able to take care of the bird until she could get it to the local Audubon Society or hummingbird rehabilitator this morning. It sure felt good to be able to provide her the knowledge she needed to try and help the hummingbird make it through the night! One can never know when the knowledge you have can be used for the benefit of others. Thanks Judy for trusting my knowledge on this subject and for allowing me to help you in your time of need. I’m currently awaiting word from Judy to find out where she has taken the bird for further care, and I will update you on the matter as soon as I hear back from her.

Tips for Late Season Hummingbirds

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1) It is important to keep your feeders up and well maintained and your gardens blooming as long as possible. You will not prevent a hummingbird from migrating, but your efforts might help a hummingbird survive.
 
 
2) If you have a hummingbird show up off season in your yard (either a very late summer resident or a hummingbird not usual to your location), contact your local bird watching group (usually an Audubon society), both to make them aware of the bird and for professional identification and documentation.
 
 
3) Collect as much information as you can on any late season hummingbird that shows up in your yard: get photos if possible; describe it in writing as well as you can; identify it if possible; note the date when the bird first appeared and when it was last seen; record any daily activity patterns of the bird, such as when it visits the garden/feeder and how often.
 
 
4) Notify hummingbird researchers to report wintering hummingbird(s) and to find out if there is a person who is permitted to band hummingbirds in your area.
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Hummingbird Food

The Amazing Metoblism of the Hummingbird

It is a well known fact that hummingbirds have a very fast metabolism, but have you ever considered how that compares with a human’s? If the average man’s metabolism was comparable to that of a hummingbird, he would have to eat 285 pounds of hamburger every day in order to maintain his weight. That is astonishing! If we had to eat that much every single day just to survive think of how much we would weigh.  It may also surprise you to know that a hummingbird can starve to death in as little as two hours. This is why the hummingbird will eat between 5-8 times per hour with each feeding lasting about 30 seconds in length.
 
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Hummingbird Feeders

Keeping Feeders Up Won’t Stop Hummingbird Migration

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It is a very common myth is that keeping hummingbird feeders up too long will stop hummingbirds from migrating. This is simply not true! Hummingbirds have an instinctive urge to migrate and this is not based on whether feeders are up or not. When migration occurs is determined by a change in the length of the day or photoperiod. It is quite common for hummingbirds to begin their migration journey when there are still plenty of flowers and feeders available. Male hummingbirds often begin their migration journey two weeks before the female does so. It will depend on the species as to when they choose to begin their migration.