Category: Dear Mom

Today I discovered a surprising fact about hummingbirds that I had never before heard and it is the type of new fact about hummingbirds that I would have loved to have shared with my mom.   What is this new fact?  It is the fact that a large majority of hummingbird species spend all their lives within 20 miles of where they were born.  This information is according to the website called Wild Bird Watching.

Yes, I am aware that not all species of hummingbirds migrate, but I thought that far more species did so then those that did not migrate.  Also, it just never occurred to me that those which did not migrate would remain so very close to the area where they were born.  What about you?

If you are a hummingbird enthusiast who also likes to travel and you enjoy photography then you should visit the state of Arizona.  According to photography expect Don Jedlovec , the Shy Islands located in southern Arizona is where 12 of the 13 species of hummingbirds of North America are located and where anyone who is serious about wanting to photograph hummingbirds should go to do so. 

The Sky Islands sound like a place that I would have liked to have visited with my mom.  Being an avid hummingbird enthusiast, I’m certain that she would have loved  to have seen so many of the different hummingbird species which are found in North America in one location.  I personally would have loved to see all the different hummingbird species but I also would have loved the opportunity to try and photograph them and capture their sheer beauty.  That way I could have used my camera, which I call my "memory maker" to help me capture and remember the occasion for a lifetime.

So if you love hummingbirds, travel and photography, the Shy Islands sure sound like the perfect destination for anyone wanting to combine those three hobbies.  If you should ever visit there, please enjoy it on behalf of my mother and me as well.  Until then…happy hummingbird watching everyone!

If you are an avid hummingbird enthusiast, then you will understand when I say that the yard can sure seem mighty lonely without the presence of these little flying dynamos.  My mom and I would miss the aerial displays and territorial behavior of the hummingbirds once they had migrated out of our area of the country.  Have you ever wondered about the journey that these birds make when they leave your area of the country or prior to the hummingbird’s return to the area?  If so, then this post was written with you in mind.

The term migration means the annual movements of the hummingbirds between one region or habitat and another.  Hummingbirds migrate during  both the spring and fall each year.  Also, a hummingbird will follow the exact same path each year from the first time they every made the migratory journey.  These are just a few of the facts about hummingbird migration that I wish to share with you today.

Generally speaking, hummingbirds do not fly very high during migration.  Whenever the hummingbirds are over land, they fly at about treetop level, because this helps them to be able to see and locate potential food sources along the path of their journey.

A hummingbird would be unable to survive the cold temperatures that are found at higher altitudes.  These birds are much too small and there for lack the insulation that they would need to do so. The fact that hummingbirds can’t survive the colder temperatures found at higher altitudes should make people realize that there is no truth whatsoever to the common myth of hummingbirds migrating on the backs of Canadian geese.

A hummingbird that flies over water durning its migratory journey will do so just above the wave tops.

I hope that this post gives you a better understanding of the journey that the hummingbird makes durning both the spring and fall of each year.  Think of it this way, the birds are leaving us for a while but they will eventually return.  Thank goodness, because, in my own opinion, hummingbirds make the world a much happier and brighter place.  That is because each time I see one it serves to remind me of my mom and thoughts of  her always make me happy.

As you probably already know, hummingbirds are very small, but just what does that mean?  This is something that many people have often wondered but probably never bothered to discover on their own.  I know that this is something my mom always wanted to know herself, but I do not think she ever really tried to find the answer for herself.  Well, if you are like her, then this post will provide you with the answer to this question.

Any species of hummingbird measures between 2.5-8 inches or between 6-20 cm in length.  Thus aptly earning the hummingbird the title as the smallest of all the birds. 

In terms of its weight, the hummingbird weighs about as much as a United States penny, which weighs approximately .1 ounce.

As these few facts would indicate, the hummingbird is an extremely tiny little bird.  In fact, it may be even smaller then you yourself could even have imagined.  I wish my mom was still alive today for me to be able to ask her if this information would come as a surprise to her or not.  I would imagine that she would have said she was astonished to discover just how tiny the hummingbird actually is in reality.