Those Sparkling Little Treasures

article and illustration by Lou Davenport

Since this month’s issue of BayouLife is the style issue, I chose to write my column about a very stylish little bird, the hummingbird.  They have been called “the acrobats of the air” and the “celebrities of the bird world.”  And, they are fierce little birds, too!

I’ve always been fascinated by birds and I turned into an avid bird watcher when I lived in Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Vicksburg was on a “fly way,” that is, migrating birds heading south flew right through there.  And, I lived on a lake, so, they would often stop around my house to rest for a while on their long journeys.

I’d write down the day I’d see certain birds in a Petersen Field Guide I’d bought. I also figured out many of the birds I saw arrived on the same day year after year such as prothonotory warblers, summer tanagers, Baltimore orioles, Orchard orioles, Great Crested Flycatchers and cuckoos!  Yes, I did see a “yellow billed cuckoo” once! 

I was lucky enough to see an Orchard oriole build a nest in an oak tree on the side of my house. Their nests are like hanging baskets!  The babies that hatched were yellow and luckily, the babies made it.

Those were just the birds that migrated through there.  The ones that stayed year round were cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, titmouse, mockingbirds, Great Blue Herons, green herons and Kingfishers.

I’m sure there were hummingbirds around but I didn’t have a feeder or any red or orange flowers that they might have used to get food!

Since I live in Monroe now, I don’t get to see those birds anymore, but, I’ve come to be fascinated by hummingbirds.  For the past two years, they too, have arrived in late February and left around the first of September.  They are so much fun to watch buzzing around my feeder.  But, what I didn’t know was how really amazing these tiny birds were!

Here’s just a few of the interesting facts I’ve learned:

• They are the smallest warm blooded animal in the world.

• Hummingbirds weigh less than a nickel.

• Hummingbirds can only perch. They do not have the ability to hop or walk around like other birds. They also use their wings to fly differently than other birds. Their wings flap in a straight line, while other birds bend their wings to give them lift. Hummingbirds hover, other birds can’t. And the beating of their wings sound like they are buzzing.  They are constant motion with their wings buzzing at about 80 beats per second.

They have to constantly find nectar from flowers or feeders to keep their metabolism high because they fly all the time to find their food. They start feeding in the morning and stop around dusk.  They must eat at least every 15 minutes. They consume five times their body weight every day.  Their metabolism keeps their blood sugar so high, it would most likely kill a human.  Some of the sugar is stored in their liver where it is converted to fat.  They also need protein and get that from catching small bugs “in air.”  They have been called “mini flycatchers!”

When they do stop at dusk, they find a cool, safe place and get still. Their bodies go into a sort of hibernation called “torpor.”  When they are in “torpor,” they cannot move so it puts them at danger of nocturnal predators.  At sunrise, it takes about 30 minutes for them to warm and then, off they go on their mission to find nectar and that goes on most of the day, just perching long enough for a short rest.

The flowers and hummingbirds have a symbiotic relationship in that hummingbirds help pollinate the flowers they feed from.  Pollen sticks to their faces and when they move to the next flower, the pollen rubs off. Even more amazing is the hummingbirds know exactly which flowers to go to and exactly how long it takes those flowers to refill with nectar.

Hummingbirds do seem to be attracted to the color red, orange, pink, even purple.  They have a keen sense of where flowers with the nectar or food they need are and often return to the same gardens or feeders every year.  I had three hummingbirds last year and three again this year, so I think that is true.  What intelligence from a tiny bird that’s brain is the size of a kernel of rice!

These tiny birds do not even stop flying when it rains or if the winds are high.  They will perch on tree limbs and bath and groom themselves but not for long.  Their need for “sweetness” goes on even when they do stop for a few moments.

Around here, we only have “Ruby Throated Hummingbirds.”  The males have a ruby red patch under its bill and on the sides of its body is a bright emerald green.  Their feathers actually sparkle and look iridescent. Their tales are notched. The females aren’t nearly as flamboyant, but, are dull green with a few white spots. Their tales aren’t notched.

Their beaks and tongues have evolved for good reason. They insert their long beaks into the flowers, and then use their sticky tongues to extract the sweet flower nectar.  And they are pollinators, getting pollen on their faces and then passing it along to the next flower.  Plants and hummingbirds have a good relationship helping one another the way they do!

Their hearts can beat about 400 beats per minute but can rise to 1200 beats at times.  At that rate, they need a lot of oxygen!

Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backward and also rotate on the spot and even fly upside down. Pretty amazing!

During mating season, which happens around here, the males put on a “show” to impress the females. If the female mates, she  builds a tiny nest that’s protected and lays the tiny eggs. Then, she sits on the eggs without leaving for food until the eggs hatch. The males do not help in any way. When the female finally does get to leave the nest, she is weak but still has to find nectar to get her strength back and feed her young.  It’s a delicate balance, but, somehow nature takes care of the females.  The Ruby Throated  Hummingbird has never been on the endangered species list.

The very first hummingbirds were first in South America in the Andes Mountains. The first one discovered was thought to be very large and had dull markings.  Plants evolved in the cool mountains and so the hummingbirds had to as well.  Those hummingbirds that live there now, have very different beaks that are used to get nectar from different flowers. There’s one called a “Woodstar” that has a booked beak.  It only drinks the nectar from a tropical plant called, Heliconia. Another hummingbird that lives in the same area has large “angel trumpet” plants. The flowers are very long and tubular so the bird has an extremely long beak and tongue to reach into the plant to extract the nectar.

There’s many ways to attract hummingbirds to your yard or even your patio. They really like red, tubular shaped vines like the “trumpet honey suckle.” Or any other kinds of flowers that are red or orange, even pink, especially Bee Balm.  You can also provide feeders and fill with sugar water. A DIY easy recipe is use one part sugar to three parts warm water. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Some people boil theirs, but, that’s not really necessary. With our hot summers, it’s necessary to change the nectar about every two days or if it looks cloudy. Clean your feeders well with vinegar and water to stop any mildew that might begin to grow.  If there’s a lot of “gunk” you can add some rice with the vinegar to act as an abrasive.  Rinse at least three times, pour in the fresh homemade nectar and hang.  Some people say to hang the feeders in the shade, but my hummingbirds don’t seem to mind either way.

Our little ruby throated hummingbirds will be leaving us before you know it. They load up on as much nectar as they can and many fly off for the Gulf Coast. There, especially in Rockport, Texas, there might be up to 10,000 hummingbirds show up to feed once more before they begin their migration of 2500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico to Central America. Rockport residents have a yearly festival just to make sure the little hummingbirds have enough to eat before they leave.

At some point, the hummingbirds start to gather at the edge of the Gulf and prepare to leave at night. Off they go and that has to be an incredible sight! Scientists still don’t know exactly how they travel so far without stopping. Doppler radar has been used but after so many miles, the birds get out of range.

So, make sure to enjoy your hummingbirds while you still can.  They’ll be gone soon and will not return until late February or March.  I’m sure going to miss mine!

There’s a legend that says if a hummingbird flies up to your face, it’s sending you positive energy, something we could all use right now.