Photography, Hummingbirds

Buzz on Blossoms

An Allen’s Hummingbird posing with avocado blooms

“Hi! I’m Buzz. I’m an Allen’s Hummingbird and I rule the corner of the yard with the avocado tree. There’s this crazy blonde lady who lives in the house and likes to take photos of me. I posed perfectly for this one, don’t you think?

There are also three kitties who sit on the balcony, right at my eye level and watch me all day while I am working.

It’s a non-stop job defending my turf from the other males. As you can see, I am always on ‘high alert.’

I really like these avocado blossoms. Can you see the pollen on my nose?

I think I might hear Big Red, my mortal enemy, coming. I cannot ever let him get near my feeder, which is hanging just a few feet away, at the edge of the balcony.

I’m ready for lift-off. I can click and squeak so ferociously that, even though I only weigh about the same as a dime, I strike terror into my enemies’ hearts.

Did you know that my wings flap in a figure eight and that, because my shoulders articulate, I can fly up, down, sideways, or backwards? I can also flap my wings up to eighty times a second.

My neck gets a little tired sometimes from swiveling back and forth so much while I follow the buzzes and screeches of all the other males practicing their mating “dive bomb.”

Did you know that when we do this acrobatic dive, down and then back up, like we’re riding a roller coaster, we race towards the earth at up to 20 meters a second?

We also have two sets of tail feathers, which whistle different notes.

I am a gentleman. I always let the ladies, like Eugenia, in for a drink or a little pollen dusting.

This is Eugenia. She’s a little more famous than me. She got to go to the Orange County Fair photo competition this summer, just for splashing around in some water droplets. Those judges didn’t pick me, though, even though I think I might be sort of a good-looking bird too. Maybe the blonde lady and I will try again next year.

I guess it’s a good thing that Eugenia represented us. But do you notice that she doesn't have the same red “cape” that I do? Only the adult males wear this ruff.

And did you know that you can really only see my red feathers when the sun shines directly on them? And get this — my feathers owe their shimmer not to pigmentation but to tiny air pockets in my feathers.

OK, I have to get back to work now. I hope you’ll join us though in the future for more ‘stories of the ‘hood.’”

I hope you enjoyed this little foray into the world of Buzz and Big Red and Eugenia. These little birds keep me (and the kitties) quite entertained.

Several years ago, we certified our yard with the National Wildlife Federation as a “wildlife habitat.” The bonus from doing so was the abundance of birds, bees and butterflies who now live here.

Interestingly, hummingbirds have no sense of smell. But they are attracted to red and orange, so planting things like salvia or honeysuckle near their feeders helps to attract them.

To drink their sugar water or flower nectar, they move their tiny tongues in and out as fast as thirteen times a second. They can eat up to twice their body weight in a day.

Please never use red dye in their food. It can cause throat cancer. Also, never use organic sugar, which is processed with molasses (which they cannot tolerate), when making their nectar. A simple solution of sugar to water in a 1:4 proportion is best.

You might also enjoy reading about Big Red, Eugenia, and Einstein:

Thank you Dennett for the November “Weeds and Wildflowers” writing prompt response about Birds.

Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).

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