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Dear Mom Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds As Fathers

On this Father’s Day 2010, I wish to offer Happy Father’s Day wishes to all the fathers out there. I hope that each of you had a very special day with your family. A father is someone who usually has a very big impact on the lives of his children. This got me to thinking; can the same be said in the world of nature? In some instances, it can be found to be true, but not as it relates to hummingbirds. Let me explain further.

It may surprise you to discover this, but male and female hummingbirds do not form a pair bond, and the males and females remain together only for courtship and mating. Once the act of mating has taken place, the male hummingbird no longer bares any further responsibilities toward reproduction. As a result, it is the female hummingbird that therefore bares the sole responsibility for building the nests and caring for the young birds once they are born.

Since my own father has played such a huge role in my own life, it saddens me to know that this is not true of the male hummingbird. The male hummingbird will miss out on the opportunity to impact or influence its offspring. Thus the male is free to mate again quickly and this must be nature’s own way of ensuring that the hummingbird population will be maintained.

Regardless of how things work with regard to the male hummingbird, I am truly thankful myself to have been blessed with such a wonderful father. I hope you know this and how very much I love you.

Once again, Happy Father’s Day 2010 to all the fathers out there!

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Hummingbirds

A Hummingbird’s Take Off

Just recently, while doing some research on the subject of hummingbirds, I discovered that the hummingbirds take off is far different then most other species of bird. Did you know this? Prior to this research, I did not. Here’s how the hummingbirds take off is different.

Most birds take off by leaping into the air by pushing away from their perch, but the hummingbird lifts off by rapidly moving its wings — gaining as much by the upward stroke as the downward stroke — actually pulling their branch perch upwards before they let go.

This information is from “Hummingbird,” The International Wildlife Encyclopedia, 1969, Vol. 9, p. 1136.

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Hummingbirds

A Few Facts About Hummingbird Eggs

A hummingbird will usually lay two eggs. Each egg will be laid a few days apart, but regardless of this the eggs will hatch on the same day.

The eggs are extremely tiny, only about the size of a peanut or jelly bean.

The eggs will hatch about 12-14 days after they were laid.

The young hummingbirds will leave the nest only 3 or 4 weeks after they hatch and then the birds are completely on their own from then on.

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Hummingbirds

Nesting Spots of the Hummingbird

The hummingbird does not use a bird house or a nesting box, unlike many other species of birds. Does this come as a surprise to you? If so, are you now wondering about where the hummingbird does build its nest? This post will provide you with the answer.

The hummingbird’s nest is cup-shaped and usually built in trees and shrubs, although hummingbirds have also been known to build their nest in some rather unusual places such as along poles, clotheslines or wires to name a few. The important thing is to provide the hummingbirds with a safe and sheltered place, among native plants are known to attract the birds, in which the the hummingbird can build its nest.

Most hummingbird nests are made of lichens, moss and fragments of bark, bound together with strands of spider web and lined with soft downy plant material like cottonwood fluff. Nests are usually located in the droopy branches of a large spruce tree about 8 to 12 feet above the ground.

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Hummingbirds

Central Oklahoma’s Shorter Hummingbird Season

While the state of Oklahoma has plenty of hummingbird species that are found there, if you live in central Oklahoma, apparently you will have a lot less opportunity to see the hummingbirds, because in that part of the state the hummingbirds may not be seen until late July and then the birds leave the area by mid September. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find an explanation for this within my extensive research. If anyone out there is able to explain this, please comment on this post and let me and all the readers of this blog know the explanation. Thank you so very much.

In fact, there have been seven different species of hummingbirds documented in Oklahoma. The list includes the following species: Black-chinned Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Anna’s Hummingbird and the Green Violet-eared Hummingbird.

In other areas of the state other then central Oklahoma, the male hummingbirds will begin arriving in Oklahoma about mid-March and the females begin arriving in early April. The hummingbirds will leave the area around mid-October, but rarely may you have the opportunity to see a hummingbird that will choose to winter over in Oklahoma.