I知 sitting here watching a Ruby-throated hummingbird

[jody]

sip from a feeder just three feet from my desk. To think that such small creatures can migrate across the Gulf Of Mexico is awesome.



I知 constantly amazed at the variety of life and incredible beauty of all that Nature has provided us.

The sad thing is we humans are a cancer destined to destroy everything long before our Sun burns out.

[Jamastiene]

1. I love humm..., I mean, hummingbirds too.

I have a videotape somewhere of one coming to the window to look at me after he got a sip of sugar/water. If I ever get to become a wildlife photographer, I'm hoping to get a camera fast enough to get a great picture of one of those beauties.

[SharonAnn]

5. We have a "swarm" of them. Six, eight, ten, however many. They're

dive-bombing eachother at our two feeders and it's fascinating to watch. I have to fill the two feeders at least once a day (each holds a cup of sugar water), and sometimes again in the middle of the day.

They are so beautiful to watch but boy, they sure don't like to share! My bird book describes them as "very pugnacious" and I'd have to agree.

Last year we had a group of four really tiny hummingbirds that often fed together at the same feeder at the same time. That's how we knew that we'd had a hummingbird nest with 4 successfully fledged birds somewhere in our trees. After about a month, there were none feeding together any more, I guess they'd grown up to be "pugnacious".

[Jamastiene]

9. Their nests are teensy tiny little things, like palm sized or less and

once we had a nest in a pine tree about 50 feet from the feeder. And yes, they were very very territorial. I remember watching as the male would do his maneuver as the female would leave the nest and come eat. Cardinals have a similar system. As odd as it sounds, I love cardinals too. It just seems odd to me that I like cardinals too, considering that I normally can't deal with the color red. It depresses me for some strange reason. It looks like I'd hate both the ruby throated hummingbird and the cardinal for that, but I love 'em.

[Ladyhawk]

2. I have to admit I'm with you on this one.

If we have to kill ourselves, why do we have to take everything else with us?

I've been daydreaming about the end of humanity lately...people panicking, governments sending human and other DNA into outer space, hoping some intelligent lifeform will come back and revive our species. The fact that we haven't been visited is the greatest argument for the existence of extraterrestrial intelligent life. They wouldn't want anything to do with us--if they truly are intelligent, that is.

Sometimes I catastrophize and daydream that humans kill off every multicellular lifeform on the planet. Sometimes I have hope that some species will live and eventually an intelligent species will evolve that can bring us back and somehow make us less inclined to destroy everything we touch. Sometimes I think this is humanity's only hope. We can't seem to help ourselves. Something bigger than we are has to help us and I don't believe in god.

That's where my mind has been lately. Yeah, I know it's pretty depressing and pretty far-fetched. I look at my parrot and think he's probably a better lifeform than I am. I am disgusted with my species.

Yet, I look at Camp Casey and start to hope that maybe, just maybe, humans can evolve away from their self-destructiveness, greed and narrow-mindedness. Is it possible? Can the better angels of our natures succeed and somehow save everyone? I can hope, but I doubt. :(

[alarimer]

7. I am personally hoping for a giant asteroid

wiping out humanity but allowing some sort of life to come back and evolve.

[wryter2000]

3. Hummingbirds are awesome

I used to call them hummers. Bummer I can't now.

One of the great things about them is they're so unafraid of humans and will get quite close.

[Roon]

4. Do you ever get Rufous?

He's orange and he usually comes around late in summer. He's also very fiesty and likes to try and keep feeders to himself. They're a blast!

[jody]

6. Yes, but not this year. As you say, they are feisty. n/t

[sendero]

8. I've only seen...

... two or three hummingbirds in my entire life - they are amazing.

We (wife and I, her mostly) are into birds - there is a pretty good variety of interesting birds in north Texas.

The coolest things we've seen lately is a painted bunting threesome. There are 2 females and one dazzling male. The females seem to run the show, the male shows up at the feeder now and then to look good :)