At only three inches in length, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are remarkable creatures. My grandfather, Dr. J. Murray Speirs, told this story in his Birds of Ontario:
I well remember one that perched so often on the same spot on a hydro wire that it had worn the insulation smooth and I could confidently focus my telescope on the spot and show the perched bird to boys at a camp in Muskoka.
We had one this morning in the same spot where one of the groups spotted it on Saturday.
Other birds:
Some botany:
Todays’ group:
MAILBOX
Hi Miles,
An update on the progress of the Manhattan balcony hawk family. All grown up and thriving!
NATURE POETRY
The work is done; no more to man is given;
The grateful Farmer trusts the rest to Heaven. – Robert Bloomfield, of planting (1766–1823)
Miles Hearn
All great pics, however, the peak, the length of the peak of the hummingbird is what really amazed me.
Beautiful pictures, as always! I especially like the one of the Philadelphia Fleabane with petals curled up in a kind of circular way. Thank you, Miles!
Your grandfather’s dependable hummingbird reminds me of a similar experience at a friend’s cottage on Lake of Bays. For a few years, as we enjoyed dinner or drinks on the screened verandah, hummingbirds would swoop in and hover at the precise spot (exact lat / long / altitude) where she USED to hang a feeder. (She removed the feeder for good after a bear got too interested in it.) Google says hummingbirds live 3-5 years. Clearly their memory and “GPS” skills stay with them.