Tag Archives: hummingbirds

Hummingbirds Are Back: The Tiny Travelers of Spring Migration

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✨April Slips Away… and the Hummers ArriveMale Ruby Throasted hummingbirds have a brilliant iridescent red throat that looks dark when it’s not in good light.

April is winding down and we’re looking May right in the eye. That means one thing for Massachusetts nature lovers: the hummingbird migration has officially begun. The earliest sighting this year popped up during the week of April 20 — a tiny flash of iridescence announcing spring’s true arrival.

These remarkable birds spent the winter basking in Central America or Mexico. Olé indeed.

Daylight Flyers With a Need for Nectar

Hummingbirds migrate during the day, which means you can spot them flitting among early‑blooming flowers in search of energy‑rich nectar. And speaking of energy, these little dynamos are astonishing.

  • They can travel up to 23 miles in a single day
  • During their Gulf crossing, they may cover up to 500 miles at once
  • Their average flight speed is 20–30 mph, and during courtship dives they can triple that

The Physics-Defying Hummingbird Body

To pull off these long‑distance feats, a hummingbird’s body runs like a high‑performance engine:

  • Heart rate: up to 1,260 beats per minute
  • Wingbeats: 15 to 80 flaps per second
  • Breathing: about 150 breaths per minute

Tiny birds, enormous stats.

Fun Facts About Our Feathered Friends

A few more delightful tidbits to impress your fellow bird‑watchers:

  1. They remember every feeder they’ve ever visited
  2. “Hummer” is both a giant SUV and a birder’s nickname for hummingbirds
  3. They’re awake during the day and sleep at night
  4. There are 350+ species of hummingbirds
  5. All hummingbirds are native to North or South America
  6. They love sugar (relatable)
  7. Natural nectar is clear — no need for red dye
  8. Make your own nectar: 4 parts water + 1 part white sugar, boiled and cooled
  9. They’re attracted to the color red
  10. They eat insects
  11. They visit 1,000 flowers a day
  12. Their wings beat thousands of times per minute
  13. They can’t walk or hop — their feet are for perching only
  14. They take about 150 breaths per minute
  15. A group of hummers is called a “charm”
  16. You can ID them with the free Audubon Bird Guide app

Get Your Yard Hummer‑Ready

So — are you ready for your feathered friends? Clean out that feeder, plant those nectar‑rich flowers, and roll out the red carpet. The tiny hummers are on their way, ready to grace your garden with their zip, sparkle, and charm. The first sighting in Plymouth, right down the raod, was April 22!

They really are happy little jewels flitting through the yard.

Welocme back little Hummers

 

Adirondack Wildlife

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I’ve been telling you about the beautiful scenery and abundant food  in the Adirondacks but  what about the Adirondack Wildlife? There’s certainly plenty of that around even if we didn’t see them all. You can find black bear, bobcats, coyotes /coy-dogs, Red fox, beaver, muskrat, ground hogs, deer, maybe a moose in the north and tons of squirrels & chipmunks. And we can’t forget the traditional road kill of possums, raccoons, skunks and porcupines!Then there are the birds. Herons, blue jays, crows, ravens, woodpeckers, chick-a dees,  hummingbirds, finches, sparrows red winged black birds, loons…. Throw in a few raptors- various hawks and owls and even bald eagles.

Of course we can’t forget  the scaly creatures- snakes (including rattlesnakes), turtles from little sliders to whopping snappers, and fish. The only alligators are those some stupid people released thinking it would be fun. Those people are cruel idiots. Excuse me for being so blunt but they are signing the poor alligator’s death warrant. They are not good people.

The Eastern Cougar

The eastern cougar was declared extinct on January 22, 2018. Once this big cat roamed all of the eastern states dining on deer meat. But as the herd disappeared so did the cougar.However as white tailed deer made a comeback in places such as the Adirondacks there are sporadic sightings reported. Are they really extinct? Are the sightings of the eastern cougar or their western cousins? Who knows but like Bigfoot they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. 

 

The Little Mammals

Mid way through my visit we descended on my sister. We met her for lunch at Cooper’s Cave then retired to her house to take in the mini wildlife in her back yard. We enjoyed the antics of her tiny menagerie for several hours while catching up on family gossip. As much as Sandy complains about the chipmunks and squirrels digging holes in her yard, she still keeps an ample supply of peanuts on hand. The squirrels and chipmunks come first and then the Blue Jays. We even saw her hummingbird! 

 

 

Puzzle Progress

I forgot to post an update on the last post . As you can see the progress isn’t fast but it is steady.