Friday, May 26, 2017

Hummingbirds

Think, for a moment, about animals.  You and I are animals.  Your dog, cat, fish, or lizard is an animal.  Animals are all over the earth.  Factmonster says:
"No one knows for sure how many species of animals exist on Earth. In fact, some 10,000 species of animals are discovered each year, with over one and a half million species already described. Projections for the total number of species on Earth range from 2 million to 50 million."
Basically, there are lots of animals everywhere.  Cute ones, big ones, slimy ones, fluffy ones, ugly ones, tiny ones, smelly ones...etc.  There are tons of different animals!  But, some animals are cooler than other animals.  Today, we will discuss hummingbirds.




Hummingbirds are weird, but they just might be the coolest of all of the animals.  At first glance, a hummingbird looks like some sort of insect/avian hybrid or "birdbug" for the layman.  They are the tiniest bird species, with most of them measuring around 2 inches long.  They are typically hovering and eating flower nectar with long, "sucky" beaks.  Their wings beat over 50 times per second (THINK ABOUT THAT) and they are capable of flying 34 mph.  Hummingbirds are the best of both worlds in many ways.  First, in being the best insect and the best bird.  Second in their metabolism.  Hummingbirds have the highest metabolism of any homeothermic animal.  They rock that beach body all year round.  But, also...all bears hibernate except the panda bear.  You know who else hibernates?  Hummingbirds!  When food is scarce, they can slow down that speedy metabolism by entering a state called torpor and taking a chill pill.  As you can see, hummingbirds have many aspects worthy of endorsement and that's why they are so popular with the boys and the girls.

While there has yet to be a Pixar movie about hummingbirds and no hummingbird has ever won the Kentucky Derby, they are often featured, photographically, on calendars.  This is where I get to interact with them the most.  Some hummingbird pictures are good, some are lacking and some are spectacular.  It takes a bunch of different and individual eggs to make a cake and it takes a bunch of different and individual hummingbird photos (even some crummy ones) to make a calendar.  I spent all of my work year in 2016 looking at hummingbirds on my calendar and 2017's calendar is absolutely sick with them.  Leave it to a technically, old fashioned medium to be the best way to display the best animal.

This is a beverage called "Hummingbird Water" It is half hard cider, half raspberry beer.

The primary function of calendars is marking the passage of days, but hummingbirds have a different function for me altogether.  Hummingbirds are my weird interest.  We all have one and if we don't have one, we should get one.  It's good to like things and take interest in them apropos of nothing.  One, it keeps people guessing.  Two, you should always look for new things to learn about and enjoy.  Maybe a silly little indulgence in a curiosity could become an obsession for you.  Maybe dipping your toes will reveal a whole lake to submerge yourself in.

"What's Good, Scott?"  Rain is good.  Trains are good.  Brains are good.  But, hummingbirds...HUMMINGBIRDS (and also strange interests that delight you for no reason) ARE GOOD!

1 comment:

  1. This post made me happy. Also I want to try "Hummingbird Water" - looks tasty

    ReplyDelete