This weekend was one of the most memorable Memorial Day weekends to date.
When was the last time you felt a heartbeat of 250 times per minute in your hand?
Buck and I drove though snow, rain, and a LOT of mud to visit Rudeen Ranch where 6 licensed hummingbird banders gathered for their annual hummingbird banding day.
As we approached the home, we could see swarms of the birds zipping from feeder to feeder
through the front yard.
We stood still next to a feeder for a few minutes
and watched this Black-chinned hummingbird perch nearby.
And observed these eager double dippers
And an all angle attack
Some of the feeders are encaged, the door held open with a kite string. A few kids had the pleasure of trapping the birds, placing them in a small mesh bags, and bringing them to the banders.
The Calliope male hummingbirds have vibrant fuchsia throats while the females are pretty...
dull, but cute.
After the birds are banded and weighed,
they are still enough to hold until they de-stress and take flight.
They weigh as much as a penny (2.5 grams) and to feel their heart
beat 250 times in a minute is amazing.
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| She was very pleased to hold her hummingbird |
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| The tiny bands that are placed on their claws |
This little fellah rolled in my hand until he buzzed off
She had an interesting hairstyle thanks to a raindrop
The swarm
Buzzing the tower
Nosedive
The long and muddy road home to...
(Buck's fly tying materials are gaining an ever increasing number of uses around the house)
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