Hummers in the Yard

I was on my way to a meeting this fine Sunday morning when I noticed a hummingbird in the yard. I stopped in my tracks to watch and immediately wished I had a camera. The "hummer" perched on a wire in our fence and just sat. My thoughts went back and forth between, "by the time I go get the camera, it will have flown off" to "the tiny thing won't even show up in the photo." As soon as I determined it wasn't worth the effort, another hummer came close to the first and landed! I have had the mistaken idea that hummingbirds NEVER land. There is perpetual hummingbird flight from egg to grave and they never get to wriggle their tiny claws into the mud of living, so to speak. Apparently, there are more myths to be dispelled in my fragile mentally unstable mind.

Again, I thought I should go get a camera but they flitted some and then flew off. I got in the car and started to drive away and saw that they had come back again, perching on the fence wire and meandering about our marigolds. I was quite amazed. In lieu of an actual photo of our little visitor, I drew the size and shape on a b&w photo of our fence.

I looked on line for hummer information and found that there are several dozen species of hummingbirds with a variety of color, of course.

What I was surprised to find is that the Southwestern states, AZ, NM and TX have the most varieties of hummers, along with some Southern states. Hummers must appreciate warm climates and the kinds of flowers that grow in the desert, poor dears. Sometimes there is slim pickin's for slim beaks and tiny tummies.