A tale of two hummingbirds.
Dec. 5th, 2011 05:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rose_catYesterday I made a sad discovery in the back yard: a dead hummingbird under the alder tree. It was an adult male Anna’s. There wasn’t a mark on him. He could have flown into something or been dashed into it by the high winds we’ve had. I wondered if he’d died from hypothermia, but hummingbirds go into torpor when sleeping and have been known to get down to a body temperature as low as 30 degrees F (20 degrees C). It had only gotten down to around the low 50s here on the previous night, and they can survive in much colder conditions. On the other hand, a weak or sickly hummingbird can die in torpor. Or he might have died from some illness. Who knows?
I took some pictures of him today; it’s extremely difficult to get close to a live hummingbird. (It may decide to come to you, but strictly on its own terms.) Then I laid him aside in a protected place. Maybe I can eventually get a skeleton.
On a happier note, a couple of days ago, I was watching another Anna’s feeding on honeysuckle. (I’m pretty sure it’s not the one that passed away; hummingbirds are super-territorial with their food sources, and he was still out there today.)
The wind was blowing vigorously and the branches were bouncing. Up and down, up and down. The hummer, hovering with perfect control, was following them perfectly. Up and down, up and down. And feeding happily, with no problem at all.
Here’s a site with some interesting general information about hummingbirds: World of Hummingbirds.
In other news, Missy is doing well. And the monarch caterpillars and butterflies are still going strong. (Pictures, and more detailed reports, will be posted soon. I hope.)
I took some pictures of him today; it’s extremely difficult to get close to a live hummingbird. (It may decide to come to you, but strictly on its own terms.) Then I laid him aside in a protected place. Maybe I can eventually get a skeleton.
On a happier note, a couple of days ago, I was watching another Anna’s feeding on honeysuckle. (I’m pretty sure it’s not the one that passed away; hummingbirds are super-territorial with their food sources, and he was still out there today.)
The wind was blowing vigorously and the branches were bouncing. Up and down, up and down. The hummer, hovering with perfect control, was following them perfectly. Up and down, up and down. And feeding happily, with no problem at all.
Here’s a site with some interesting general information about hummingbirds: World of Hummingbirds.
In other news, Missy is doing well. And the monarch caterpillars and butterflies are still going strong. (Pictures, and more detailed reports, will be posted soon. I hope.)
