Hummingbirds: Peaceful and Serene

As Sunday is typically supposed to be a day to rest and relax, I want to share a wonderful book with you that I think represents peace and tranquility, then bombard you with a few of my own photos.

I love this book - HUMMINGBIRDS: A Life-size Guide to Every Species by Michael Fogden, Marianne Taylor, and Sheri L. Williamson – but yet find it hard to write a review of it as it is a reference book. So today I’m sharing some information from the book’s publisher to help you understand why this book is a must have in your library. It contains such a wonderful amount of information about these tiny creatures.

The book is beautifully illustrated with rich, color photos of the 338 species of hummingbirds, as well as small map drawings showing the regions where they live. The really neat thing is the photos are life-size shots of the birds.

The book also gives a short description and factual information, including the best viewing locations, their habitats, breeding season; size and conservation status. These tiny creatures, ranging from 3 to 5 inches on average, are fascinating. Their brain makes up to 4.2 percent of their body weight. Most hummingbirds die in their first year of life. If they survive that first year, they can live for more than 10 years.

Their tiny feet are so weak they can barely walk, so they prefer to fly. And boy can they fly, using wings that rotate in a full circle and average a speed of 25 to 30 mph and up to 60 mph in a dive.

Hummingbirds have little to no sense of smell, but they can see and hear farther than humans. They can also remember every flower they have been to and how long it will take that flower to refill.

This lovely hardcover book contains 400 pages of captivating information about each of the species found throughout the world. It’s small enough to fit in a backpack, yet large enough for comfortable reading.

HUMMINGBIRDS: A Life-size Guide to Every Species by Michael Fogden, Marianne Taylor, and Sheri L. Williamson, HarperCollins Publishers, @2014, ISBN: 978-0062280640, Hardcover, 400 Pages 

FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my posting this information. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

To further show you how much I enjoy hummingbirds, I’m sharing some photos I took this past Wednesday of a few birds gathered around a couple of feeders I have out. You’ll see a Mullen plant in the background. When it was in full bloom, they seemed to like the yellow flowers. I also have a pineapple sage plant growing underneath the feeders, but it hasn’t bloomed this year.

These birds are amazing to watch. They are so tiny, yet can be so noisy when there are several of them fighting over the same feeder. They have become accustom to us, so we can stand near the feeder and they will buzz around us.

The first one appears each year on April 1. He stays for about a week and then leaves. A week or so later the others begin to appear and for the summer we are entertained and delighted by their antics.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a chance to relax and unwind. Do you have hummingbird feeders up?

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