%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |
My Personal Blog. |
| This is a blog about the book I am currently writing, CHERRY’S WINGS. This book is a follow up to my published book, CHERRY’S ARMY. My’ blog will also deal with other things that I am doing now. |
HUMMINGBIRD RESEARCH I love watching hummingbirds birds flit in and out of my garden and “kiss” my flowers. I’ve done a lot of research to satisfy my curiosity about them. I even wrote a nonfiction article directed to children about these fascinating birds. A copy of it is in my portfolio. Hummingbirds have been called living jewels, flying jewels, rainbow fragments, and have a number of other names according to the area and language of the people living there. These amazing birds have fascinated humans wherever they have been found. The Aztecs named them ‘huitzil’, which means, “shining one with weapon like cactus thorn”. To the Caribbean Indians, hummers are known as ‘colibri’ or “sun god birds”. In Portugal they are called ‘beija-flor’ meaning, “kiss flower”. The Spanish name is ‘joyas voladoes or “flying jewels”. The small size of the hummingbird inspired the French to call them ‘oiseau-mouche’ which means, “fly-bird.” They glitter with all the colors of a rainbow as they feast on the nectar found in your flowers or hummingbird feeders. Their wings hum as they dart in and out looking for nourishment. They can take off and land vertically, as well as fly sideways and backwards. When threatened they make a quick exit by flipping into a backwards somersault and flying upside down for a beat or two before rolling upright. Hummers take-off and land vertically, and can fly sideways or backwards. This is a feat even helicopters can’t execute! There are 338 different species of hummingbirds listed. Most of them live across the countries of South America and can be found from the southern extremity of South America, to the extreme northwestern region of North America. There have been 16 species identified as nesting in the United States. It’s the unusual structure of a hummingbird’s wings that enable him to hover. Most bird wings have a number of moveable joints, but the only movable joint a hummingbird wing has is in the shoulder. It has a ball and socket joint that enables the wing to move freely 180 degrees. While hovering the wings move in a figure eight. The up and down stroke match, pinning the hummer in place. We might compare this movement with the way a swimmer moves his shoulder joints as he treads water. Because of its wing structure the hummingbird is also able to tilt the front edge of its wing backwards and fly in reverse. The hummer’s small size, light weight, strong flight muscles, and tapered wings combine to make it highly maneuverable. Hummingbird wings average between 50 and 70 beats per second. When performing aerial dives, as the males do during courtship, the wings can beat 200 times per second. This quick wing movement causes the humming sound you hear. Constant hummingbird activity burns an incredible ten times the amount of energy as a marathon runner. Hummers eat every 7 to 15 minutes for about 30 to 60 seconds at a time. They eat most frequently in the early morning and late afternoon hours. Their main food is nectar, but as they sip they are constantly on the alert for small insects to add to their diet. If an adult human were able to burn energy as efficiently as a hummingbird, he or she would need to eat 155,000 calories a day. Think of all the candy bars you would need to eat in order too consume that many calories. Talk about a sugar high! The hummingbird glows like a sparkling jewel because of the unique structure of its feathers. The outer third of each feather contains miniature air bubbles. There are dark spaces between each bubble. As light bounces off the bubbles at different angles they seem to glow with iridescent color. This is similar to the way we see different colors bouncing off a soap bubble. The specific color of the feather is determined by the thickness of the bubble as well as the amount of air it contains. If you plant flowers hummingbirds like, such as fuchsias, honeysuckle, petunias, and zinnias, hummers will no doubt be a frequent visitor to your yard. You can also attract these beautiful jewels by using a hummingbird feeder that can be found at most variety stores. You can buy commercial nectar or make your own, by mixing one part sugar with four parts water. Boil the solution for one or two minutes to kill all bacteria. Allow the mixture to cool. Use a small amount in your feeder until the hummingbirds are consuming it quickly. Store extra solution in the refrigerator for later use. You must change the nectar at least every other day. If you don’t the solution can ferment and, over time, become alcoholic. Also, be sure to clean the feeder out with hot water mixed with vinegar at least once a week. If you don’t have time to perform these necessary chores, you, and the hummingbirds, would be better off with a combination of flowers that provide them with a safe and natural food source |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
