A Sign of Spring Surely...

Everyone will agree I have no doubt, it has been a long dreary Winter!


There are blooms on the trees and we spotted a Rufous Hummingbird by our dinning room window yesterday so surely Spring is here?

Mountain chickadees have recently also shown themselves around the bird feeder and perhaps the Rufous feels at home. Observing them has become a favourite pastime along with handfeeding the deer of course.

I was told the photo above is that of a hummingbird's nest and I will be on the lookout for such a wonder this Spring. Such a tiny creature at 7.5 to 13 cm long, Hummingbirds live approximately 3 to 5 years and can fly at a speed exceeding 34 miles/hr.

If you are lucky enough to be able to attract them around your house with either nectar and - or lots of flowers, you will marvel at this lovely creature!
In 2004 two 30 million year old hummingbird fossils were identified after resting for decades in a museum drawer in Stuttgart. Apparently it had been dismissed for many years as Hummingbirds were thought to be found only in the Americas!

And did you know that Geoglyphs in Nazca, Peru includes a Hummingbird? The Nazca lines are found in a 30 mile area of the desert and can only be appreciated from the air as this 250 feet long hummingbird aerial picture shows.

Drawn possibly by moving surface stones and gravel aside to reveal the lighter soil underneath it is believed these spectacular geoglyphs could be attributed to the Paracas people and dated betwixt 900 BCE and 630CE.

Enjoying my hummingbird and learning just a little bit more....What dreams...