international intrigue

When I first heard that Ramsey Canyon in southeastern Arizona is the hummingbird capital of the world, my first thought was that some PR guy surely got a huge bonus for coming up with that advertising gimmick. But it turns out it really is and birders who like hummingbirds (and who doesn't like those cute little birds?!) travel from all over the world to Ramsey Canyon where they can spy on at least 14 species of hummers and shoot them (with a camera, of course!) to their heart's content.

During a recent stay at the Ramsey Canyon Inn, I spied six different species of hummers at a feeder outside a window at breakfast alone. Unfortunately my camera was in our room - so all the photos in this post were taken in my yard at home. The owner of the Ramsey Canyon Inn, Shirlene, told me that she usually has at least ten feeders out but because of  larger than average populations of bats and bears this year due to habitat destruction from the wildfire last year, and at the suggestion of the wildlife rangers, she took down all but two. The bears like the sweet syrup and will damage property to get to them. And it's not a good idea to feed them, anyway. You've read the story about giving a mouse a cookie, right? And the bats are gluttons and will drain two or three cups of syrup per feeder every night. That just gets expensive.

One of the guests staying at the Inn was a man named Mario, a guy who is living his childhood dream. When he was a boy living in Costa Rica, his grandfather told him to find something he liked and then learn everything he could about it. Mario liked birds, especially hummingbirds, so at age 11, he began studying them. He went to college and became an ornithologist specializing in, you guessed it, hummingbirds! He travels all over the world studying them and doing research. And that weekend he was doing research in Ramsey Canyon. Wow! Needless to say, I picked his brain for a bit!

I knew hummingbirds are omnivores; they eat nectar and gnats and such. Mario told me they also eat larger bugs like small spiders, aphids and caterpillars. They need protein from the bugs and electrolytes from the nectar, neither of which they get from sugar water in feeders. Mario worked on a commercial syrup that has sugar for calories (their metabolism is very high!), electrolytes and protein. The one with just electrolytes is available now at Lowe's, the one with protein added should be available soon. While making your own sugar water is less expensive, it makes the hummingbirds "full" without giving them the nutrition they need. As a result, ornithologists are seeing more sick hummingbirds in urban areas and some species are in danger of becoming endangered.

My next question was why the hummingbirds seem to be so afraid of bees - after all, the hummingbirds are significantly larger.  He said that bees are a problem for the hummingbirds because they share a food source and a bee sting will kill them. Fortunately, though, hummingbird feathers overlap in such a way that it provides them with an impenetrable suit of armor. The only place on their body that is vulnerable to a bee sting is their eye. Do you know how small a hummingbird's eye is? VERY! And have you seen them dart around at lightning speed? I think that levels the playing field.

As I was pondering that, I realized that God levels the playing field for me, as well. He allows obstacles or trials in my life but always gives me the means to overcome them. They don't necessarily go away, but He equips me to persevere, gives me encouragement through His Word or from a friend. Sometimes He has given me a skill or attribute that helps - just like He made hummingbirds able to hover and gave them great beak - eye coordination so they can feed from a feeder (or flower) that is swaying like crazy in the wind.

As Mario talked about all the places he's traveled to study hummingbirds and how thousands of folks come here every year to watch hummingbirds, I realized how fortunate we are to have so many varieties right here in Arizona. Some are migratory but many live here year round. With a few hummer-friendly plants and/or a feeder, I can enjoy their antics from the comfort of our patio... in my jammies ... with a cup of coffee... and, of course, my camera!