Hummingbirds

Dear Lilliputian ,

This little Ruby Throat Hummingbird weighs about 3 . 5 grams . . . Do you know how much a nickel weighs ? A nickel weighs 4 grams . Go ask your parents if  they have a nickel and see for yourself how little a nickel weighs and then try to imagine that this little bird weighs less than the nickel . 

Can you guess why they are called Hummingbirds ?  It is because they flap their wings so fast that the wings make a humming noise . Another fascinating thing about this little bird is they have very weak feet . . . they can't walk on the ground or hop like other birds but they can hold on tight to a branch or scoot sideways along a perch at a Hummingbird Feeder . 

You can see how small their little nest is if you click on this photo . . . It is usually built way up in a tree and it is made of Lichen and tree bark on the outside and plant fibers and plant down on the inside . When I took this photo of a Hummingbird nest that someone gave me , I put it near some Lichen that is growing on the tree . The Hummingbird will pull the Lichen off the tree to finish the outside of her nest . The nest when it is first built is actually smaller than the one above . The mother Hummingbird and the baby Hummingbirds push and push on the sides of the nest to make it bigger as they grow .  If you would like to see two live baby Hummingbirds in their very tight little nest click on the link below . These little Hummingbirds live in California so you can not see them first thing in the morning because it is still dark in California at that time . Just wait a few hours and then peek in on these baby Hummingbirds .

http://explore.org/live-cams/player/bella-hummingbird-nest

I have been watching these two little Hummingbirds since they were eggs . . . When they hatched  their beaks looked like other baby bird beaks . . . but as they grow so does their beak . They sort of remind me of Pinocchio . Everyday their beaks seem a little longer . 

In the book  The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett there is a young boy who knows a lot about nature .  His name is Dickon Soweby . . . you may enjoy this book .

Until next time ,

Wildbee