Tag Archive for 'owls'

If you had the chance to be a bird – what bird would you be? When this question is posed to a variety of folks, most answers center around what we admire most about our avian friends – flight. Answers generally trend toward hawk, eagle, even vulture for their magnificent ability to soar across the skies. They represent unlimited freedom, movement and the extreme joy of space. But with a little thought other interesting answers will be forthcoming.

Black-capped chickadee. Their familiarity and ability to grace our homes and gardens with such cheeky joy makes them an endearing choice. The Northern Cardinal. The peak of popular bird culture gracing holiday cards, sweatshirts, painted plates and ornaments. A wren of any type known for their gorgeous songs and fussy attitude – reflecting a confidence few humans experience naturally. Cedar Waxwings with their elegant beauty, seemingly tranquil social life and a penchant for luscious berries. Even owls make the list – so one can stay up all night long!

Having given this question some thought my choice would be a Rufous Hummingbird – male! Considering all aspects of a bird’s life from incurable flying feats, special habitats, excellent food preference, to “lifestyle” it is definitely a male Rufous. They are a handsome, even splashy,  spectacular bird that no one can view without admiration. Brilliantly fast with the ability to fly at great heights, super maneuverability and spectacular acrobatics.

As for lifestyle and habitat, consider the fact they live where it is consistently warm and the flowers are in bloom. Summers in the northwest sipping from alpine blooms, winters in Mexico and Central America enjoying the spectacular blossoms of the tropics. An occasional insect thrown in for good protein wouldn’t be too difficult. Add in a truly heroic migratory journey, so intense that early “scientists” assumed they rode on the backs of geese to their winter and spring destinations.

Why a male hummingbird? – well, his primary job is to look good and chase away any competitors. The fierce attitude is well represented in all three inches of his compact athletic body.
If I were a female hummingbird, rather than flying about enjoying the sweet nectar and occasional insect, my hours and days of spring and summer would be spent in a constant frenzy of nesting and raising young. Gathering moss, lichen and hours of silk stealing from nearby spider webs in order to build a work of art in a tiny cup nest. But a lot of work! Once this tiny sturdy structure was done; I would have then have to incubate two jellybean size eggs all alone, while continuing to feed myself. The minute naked young were hatched, it would be a constant battle to keep them warm until they could thermoregulate on their own, coupled with an endless gathering of enough insects to fill their voracious appetites. Not I – I’d rather perch fiercely on the tip of a branch flashing my gold gorget and swirling after any presumed threat (butterfly, swallow, or another hummingbird) just because I could.