Posted
on September 14, 2013
Herds
of elephants and zebras migrate to find food during wet and dry
seasons. Pods of whales and “waddles” of emperor penguins migrate
north to feed and south to breed. Monarch butterflies and
ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate to avoid winter's cold.
During
their migration, ruby-throated hummingbirds often appear at
hummingbird feeders in Rockport and Fulton (on the Gulf coast of
Texas) the exact same day every year! And so there is a celebration to welcome the hummers!
And,
boy, what a celebration! Many people like to go bird-watching as a
hobby, and the Texas towns welcome these “birders” with boat
trips, bus tours, speeches and workshops. This year you can learn how
to grow a garden that will attract hummingbirds, about hummingbird
“courtship,” or how to photograph hummingbirds. You can watch a
video about the “world's most fascinating hummingbirds,” band
hummingbirds' tiny little legs, or visit homes whose owners have
succeeded in attracting hummers every years.
I
always picture hummingbirds sipping nectar, but they also eat tiny
insects and spiders. They need to eat insects so that they can get
the amino acids and proteins that are missing from nectar. So they
are omnivores!
Here
are some hummingbird facts:
Hummingbirds
are the smallest of all birds. The smallest hummer (the bee
hummingbird) is just 5 centimeters long (not quite two inches).
- Some adult hummingbirds weigh less than a penny.
- Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards.
- Hummingbirds can go into a torpor state when it is cold—but when they are in normal temperatures and they are flying, their teeny little hearts can beat as many times as 1,260 beats per minute!
To
learn more about hummingbirds, check out this website or watch the National Geographic Kids video.
Also
on this date:
Plan Ahead!
Check
out my Pinterest pages on September
holidays, September
birthdays,
and historical
anniversaries in September.
And
here are my Pinterest pages on October
holidays, October
birthdays,
and historical
anniversaries in October.
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