Hi everyone!  Thank you for stopping by to read this post.

Have you noticed how many hummingbirds are out and about lately?  We have three feeders in our yard and they are coming and going and feeding in a frenzy!  I am loving every minute of it.

I don’t know if you love hummingbirds as much as I do but I am just crazy about them.  If you have ever seen one up close – you will  see that they are just adorable!  My husband attached a feeder to my kitchen window to I could watch them as I cook or wash dishes.  They come up to the window and rest on the little legs that extend out of the bright red feeder.  They cock their little heads this way and that as they look at me.  I try to be very quiet and not bang the dishes and pots too loudly or they will fly away.   Their wings beat at a frenetic pace as they get closer.  You can actually hear the beating sound and feel the breeze.  It is truly amazing!  They are an incredible creation.  God has to be proud of His accomplishment if He could be proud, that is!

I Binged hummingbirds and here is what I found on Wikipedia site.  I will share some of it with you.

Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae.  They are among the smallest birds, most species measuring in the 7.5-13 cm (3-5 in) range.  They hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12-80 times per second. They are known as hummingbirds because of the humming sound created by their beating wings which sometimes sound like bees or other insects.  To conserve energy while they sleep or when food is scarce, they have the ability to go into a hibernation-like state (torpor) where their metabolic rate is slowed to 1/15th of its normal rate.  When the nights get colder, their body temperature can drop significantly and thus slow down their heart and breathing rate, thus burning much less energy overnight.  As the day heats up, the hummingbirds’ body temperature will come back up and they resume their normal activity.  They can fly at speeds exceeding 15 m/s (54 km/h; 34 mph).  They are also the only group of birds with the ability to fly backwards.  Individuals from some species of hummingbirds weigh less than a penny.

Hummingbirds drink nectar, a sweet liquid inside certain flowers.  Like bees, they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat.  They can reject flower types that produce nectar that is less than 10% sugar and prefer those whose sugar content is higher.

Most hummingbirds have bills that are long and straight or nearly so, but in some species the bill shape is adapted for specialized feeding.  Some hummingbirds have short, sharp bills adapted for feeding from flowers with short corollas and piercing the bases of longer ones.   The two halves of their bills have a pronounced overlap, with the lower half (mandible) fitting tightly inside the upper half (maxilla).  When hummingbirds feed on nectar the bill is usually open only slightly, allowing the tongue to dart out and into the interior of flowers.’

They are just fascinating creatures that I could watch for hours on end.  Each time I see one at a distance or close up I feel closer to God.  They make my heart skip a beat!

I wrote a poem one day about the hummingbird as I watched them on my deck.  Can I share it with you?

HUMMINGBIRD  

It is as delicate as a butterfly

and graceful as a lark.

Wings beating in a symphonic rhythm

as it maneuvers around each flower,

and dips its beak to draw out the nectar so sweet.

I watch it as it moves so effortlessly.

Its wings beat so quickly it almost seems to stand still.

Its feathers glisten with color and reflect the sun’s rays.

Seeing this bird in its element is to experience pure wonder and joy.

One knows that there is something greater out there

that made the glorious hummingbird.

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY!

Thought for the day:   Look out your window and appreciate the wonder of God all around you!

Thank you to Wikipedia for the facts and Wikimedia for the pictures of hummingbirds.

Thank you to all my followers and readers.  I hope you found this post interesting and will stop by again to visit.  I would love to hear from you if you want to drop me a line sometime.

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Blessings & Hugs!

Janice