Wings~

Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world. Anna’s weigh about .14 ounce, but they can fly at speeds of up to 60 mph.

Unlike other birds they can fly backwards and upside down, and they are among the 1% of birds who can hover.

Hummers fly upright, not flat like other birds.

Their wings rotate 180 degrees, on their shoulder ball and socket joints,

and can beat up to 200 times per minute!

Despite their petite size, hummingbirds have mega-brains. Their brains constitute 4.2% of their body weight, greater than any other bird, and greater than human beings whose brains are about 2% of their body mass. Hummers remember how to fly thousands of miles, they know and remember which humans can be counted on to feed them, and they remember which flowers have the best nectar.

Cheers to you from the small but mighty hummer~

Seconds~

Sep5

The most,

hummers get,

to rest,

all day.

Their daylight hours are spent packing on calories,

to survive their torporous nights.

Cheers to you from the resting hummers~

(Click the photos to enlarge if you would like to see more detail.)

Are You Down for a Series? #1 Flight~

Aug27

Hummingbirds in flight are difficult photos for me.

You can see his tongue here,

and here.

The world has been so depressing for such a long time now,

that I am sharing some of what keeps me going.

And risk boring you with too many photos.

I am going to post a series of hummingbirds, macros are next.

Hummingbirds help me realize how hopeful the world still is.

I hope they help you too. Cheers to you from The Holler Hummers~

Mockers~

Aug23

I’ve respected mockingbirds since I was a kid when I watched one pick up a snake that was threatening it’s nest and repeatedly dash it on the pavement from high in the sky.

My childhood friend rescued a baby mockingbird and it became her pet. It flew freely about the house and held it’s own with her family’s five cats.

They are feisty and assertive birds and they are talented musicians.

They don’t just mimic the sounds they hear, they also compose, morphing the timber,

and tune, to make their songs more melodic.

Mockingbirds are night singers in the spring and summertime at The Holler.

Juvenile and adult males without mates sing at night to attract females.

I love falling to sleep at night listening to their vocal repertoires.

Cheers to you from The Holler musicians~

Mr. Ring Necked Duck~

Aug19

Spots the intruder!

He fixes his golden eye,

on me and never lets me,

out of his sight,

until I leave.

He has a nest to protect!

Cheers to you from Mr. Good Daddy Duck~

I Spy~

Jun18

(NOTE: Please See ALERT at end of post)

Meep-Meep,

spying on you!

Meep-Meep knows,

Wile E. Coyote is after him at The Holler, which is why he wisely lives,

all his days (and nights), inside our fences,

and considers us,

neighbors, if not friends.

As wise Robert said, ‘Good fences make good neighbors!’

Cheers to you from the very wily Meep-Meep~

ALERT: A Word Press glitch keeps unfollowing people from blogs. Many people don’t realize they have been unfollowed, and I only realized it was happening when people who have been following me for a long time, had to refollow. As a test, I started following my own blog. I am constantly unfollowed! WP Acknowledges this is happening to blogs. This problem invalidates your blog’s statistical and follower count, and results in you losing blog followers, and blogs you follow, without they, or you, knowing. WP has not yet been able to fix the problem. There is discussion of the issue by other bloggers online and in Word Press forums. So keep an eye on your followers and stats, if you are concerned, to ensure this isn’t happening to you. If it is. Speak up!