Tag: Hummingbirds

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Dear Mom Hummingbirds

What Questions Do You Have About Hummingbirds?

Dear Readers:

Today’s post is going to be a bit different then usual and I hope you will bare with me. Rather than covering a particular topic relating to hummingbirds in today’s post, I want to ask you what questions you may have about hummingbirds? Please share them with me because it will help me be better able to provide you with the exact type of information you would like to see discussed on this blog.

While this blog already contains a wide range of information about hummingbirds, that does not mean that a particular topic cannot be improved on or expanded upon. So, please let me hear from you to give me a better idea of the topics about hummingbirds that you would like to know much more about.

After all, I truly want this blog to serve as a place of information and discussion for all who are enjoy hummingbirds. As much as I love and enjoy sharing my knowledge of hummingbirds with all who read this blog, I want you to feel that you also play an important role in making this blog the best that it can possibly be. It is impossible for me to be aware of every possible question, comment or topic suggestion that you might have, so I have no real way of knowing if your needs are being met through this blog.

Thanks to all who read this blog! You make all my effort and hard work worth it. By letting me know about any questions you have about hummingbirds or even possible topic suggestions, you are playing a vital role in making this blog the best it can possibly be. Thanks! Let’s have those questions…please.

Sincerely,
Hummingbird

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Dear Mom Hummingbirds

An Unusual Danger to Hummingbirds

It is amazing the things that one can discover while doing research on the subject of hummingbirds. The topic of today’s post is certainly no different. While recently researching a wide variety of topics about hummingbirds, I discovered that a plant known as Common Burdock can be seen as an danger to hummingbirds. This discovery was not only surprising but also fascinating to me, as I am sure it would have been to my mother as well, so I decided to share this information with you my readers as well. This post will discuss what I uncovered about this fascinating topic.

Yes, it is true that hummingbirds are very dependent on a wide variety of plants as a valuable source of nectar and this post is not intended to dispute this but to point out that the Common Burdock is a plant which has the potential to cause harm to the hummingbird.

According to Mr. Bill Hilton of Operation Ruby Throat: The Hummingbird Project, hummingbirds have become impaled on cactus spines and also trapped due to sticky tree sap. Also, the seed pods of the Common Burdock have been well documented as a hazard of the hummingbird. The pods are known as “cockleburs” which are covered by tiny hooks that can attach to the fur or pant legs of potential seed disseminators. Due to the hummingbird’s tiny size the bird can become sired by the hooks of the “cockleburs” when they come to feed on a purple burdock flower.

I am not claiming that the Common Burdock is grave hazard to a hummingbird, just pointing out that it is a highly unusual one. I find it very interesting to know that a plant can be a hazard to a hummingbird and I wanted to share this will my readers.

On a positive note, it is possible for a hummingbird to be rescued if this occurs, but the bird has to be found in time and the person who finds the bird must know how to help the bird without causing it harm. Operation Ruby Throat: The Hummingbird Project was successfully able to rescue a female Ruby Throat found in West Virginia by cutting the hooks away from its legs and then banding the bird prior to setting the bird free once more.

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Dear Mom Hummingbirds

The Rapid Nature of a Hummingbird’s Wings

The beat of a hummingbird’s wing is undetectable to the human eye, because it occurs at such a rapid rate that it is appears to be nothing but a blur. The rapid nature of the hummingbird’s wing beats is what gives the hummingbird its name due to the humming sound that the wings make as they beat. The exact rate at which this occurs will depend on the direction of flight and air conditions, but the normal rate at which this occurs is between 50 and 200 beats per second.

Do you find that as astonishing as I do? It is this kind of information that never ceases to amaze and fascinate me. This is also the kind of unique information that my mom would have enjoyed discovering about hummingbirds. Since she is no longer living, I will take this opportunity to share it with all the readers of this blog.

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Hummingbirds

Why Hummingbirds Fly Alone

When a hummingbird migrates it will fly the same flight path or flight zone repeatedly. A hummingbird will follow the same flight path or flight zone they did the first time the journey was made. This post will help you discover why hummingbirds travel alone on their migration journey rather then as part of a group.

There are various reasons why hummingbirds make the migration journey alone. The small size of the hummingbird makes it more difficult for most predators to spot them and the same could not be said if these birds traveled as a group rather then alone. Even along the way of their migration journey, hummingbirds need to stop and feed regularly at a flower or hummingbird feeder. If the journey was not made alone, the birds would be fighting over the food source. During hummingbird flight, the birds do not have enough body mass to cause a wake in the air currents to aid the other birds.

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Dear Mom Hummingbirds

The Tiny Size of Hummingbird Eggs

As one of the smallest bird species it is not surprising to discover that the hummingbird lays the smallest eggs of all birds. Have you ever wondered about the size of hummingbird eggs? If so, this post will provide you with the answer you seek.

Just how tiny are the eggs of a hummingbird? The answer may surprise many of you. The eggs measure less than 1/2 an inch long. Even at this tiny size the eggs may represent as much as 10 percent of the mother’s weight at the time the eggs are laid. I do not know about you but I find it astounding that something so tiny could represent that much of the mother’s weight at the time the eggs are laid.

This kind of information makes me think of my mom and our shared love of hummingbirds. This is the kind of information that she would have found to be interesting and that I would have enjoyed getting to share with her. It is my hope that you too will enjoy discovering this information as well.