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H Is For… Hummingbirds!

Writer Zen Garden Posted on by

Image from Creative Commons, used under Creative Commons license.

Hummingbirds make me happy.

We have a feeder right outside my office window, so I can see them coming and going. During the Spring migration, we have to refill the feeders (we have two; one by my office, and one out on Grandpa, an ancient broadleaf maple in the yard) every two days. During normal non-migration times, about once a week will do it. We have native the “Anna’s Hummingbird” here; they’re tiny (even for hummingbirds) and greenish metal color.

Do you have hummingbirds in your valley? If so, do you feed them? If not, what birds do you have that live near you?

Some resources for the bird-challenged:

  1. Merlin Bird App: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
    1. This is one of my favorite apps, because it lets you record bird sounds and the app will tell you what the likely culprit is that’s making the noise. There’s more info on Audubon (see below), but for straight up identification I like this one. My local library turned me onto it.
  2. Speaking of, check out your local public library. They may have classes on birds, especially right about now; our library did a class last year on “online options for outdoors,” which covered all sorts of things – bird apps, nature tracking apps for trees and bugs, even astronomy apps.
  3. Audubon Bird Guide App: https://www.audubon.org/app
    1. If you want to learn about specific birds, this is a great repository of information. Once you know what birds you have in your area, you can come here and read up on them.
  4. Seek, by iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app
    1. This is a fun one – it tracks not just birds, but bugs and plants too. They have challenges, and you can track what you find on your nature walks. This is a great tool – especially for our urbanites! You’ll be startled by just how much nature is right around you, even in the concrete jungle.

 

What are your favorites?

Comments

H Is For… Hummingbirds! — 4 Comments

  1. I love this post! Yes, hummingbirds are indeed among the most beautiful birds in the world and they are incredibly fascinating creatures. Thanks for the valuable list of resources for finding out more. I’d like to recommend one more resource: the book The Glitter in the Green: In Search of Hummingbirds by Jon Dunn. I devoured this book a couple of summers ago and still consider it one of the very finest nature books I have ever read.

    Thanks again, Noony, for a great post!

    • Ooh! I’ll have to check it out. Thank you for the recommendation!

  3. Great post. Many birds are fun to watch but the tiny hummers are definitely the most entertaining. You might also check out the Website “What Bird”, which is a very useful tool for identification. It’s currently undergoing some major changes but do check it out in a few months. It was a great resource before and I’m sure the updates will make it even better.

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