05/24/09 - Week 127 Bath Time.. It's back to the hummingbirds this week and this one is kind of a special treat. I know many people never see hummingbirds doing anything but flying around at high speed and now and then hovering at a feeder. Many have no idea that in many ways they are much like other birds. They do eat bugs, they do just sit around doing nothing and they like to take baths and play in the water. Besides the "regular" birdbath in my back yard I have a small fountain set up to give the birds and squirrels a place to drink. The top part of the fountain looks like an old hand pump and like many of the old pumps it is designed to look like the top seal is leaking and it creates a small pool of flowing water on the top of the pump. While it is too small for most of the birds to use as a bathtub, the smallest of the birds around fine it quite fitting. The star of the show this week is a young (about 8 weeks) Anna's Hummingbird. It's gender is yet to be determined as there is no sign of any neck patch or other coloring showing up yet. This is probably the cleanest Anna's hummingbird around. I will catch it out there in the water two or three times a day playing in the water and taking a bath and it is really a kick to watch. If you follow this link there is a series of eight different shots of this goofy kid playing in the bath water. Trust me on this one, it is worth your time to look. My next challenge is to get it on video. Hope you enjoy, Mike |
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