Page 35 - 2004 DT 9 Issues

Madcap Mites ing their claim on feeding rights to a fa- that hummingbirds once populated the Old
vored bush or feeder with bill and claw. World begs the question as to why they dis-
umbling, twirling, diving—a blur of Males will dive and display, charging back appeared.
color flickers at the margin of your and forth in front of each other until some- Those who live in warm climates are
Tvision. What was THAT? The first one either backs down or is smacked down. fortunate to have the birds almost year-
hummingbird of spring has just invaded Head-on collisions are not uncommon, round. Winter migration to warm latitudes
your back yard. For a brief moment, it stops with the locked combatants spinning to the can begin as early as July or as late as No-
a few inches from your nose and gives you ground. vember. Late summer is the high season
the once-over, then zips off to forage among In courtship, the female may perch and throughout their territory, as they gorge on
your flowers. spread her tail feathers or, perhaps, join the nectar and sugar-water in preparation for
Hummingbirds are the only birds that male in his courtship dance, rapidly shut- their long journey to winter ranges. An early
can fly forward, backward, and sideways, tling back and forth in front of another bird. spring will find them tumbling back into
and hover for sustained periods. If you In some species, males will gather together your yard, bringing their madcap charm
watch quietly for a while, you may see this in communities called leks. They all sing with them.
smallest of birds perform barrel rolls and
even free falls, stopping abruptly, then start-
ing all over again. Their amazing wing May Board Notes:
speed, up to 50 beats per second, makes
such amusing tricks possible. These acro- A motion was made and carried to
batic talents, along with a long needle-like fund up to $2,000 from the Special Projects
bill and even longer grooved tongue, al- account to cover the printing of three pos-
low the birds to suck the nectar from a large sible Information Desk brochures.
volume of tubular flowers in record time. The board will fund $1,000 for
A good thing, too, because their almost campground projects over the summer at
constant activity requires a very high me- the request of Ranger Brian Buttazoni. A
tabolism, which they must maintain by previously approved allocation of funds for
consuming up to 50% of their weight each together, trying to entice females to the Cottonwood Valley brochures will not
day in nectar and insects. Hummers also approach. be used this year, freeing funds for the
remember their food sources from year to ‘Sing’ may be an overstatement, be- campground request.
year, which is why, once they’ve found cause these tiny birds have no real song. An agreement has been reached
your feeder, they keep coming back. They chirp, squeak, buzz, or make whir- with artist Sharon Schafer for the use of a
th
One recently solved puzzle involves ring sounds often referred to as “wing redesigned logo for the 20 Anniversary
how a hummingbird can catch enough in- whistle.” With their poorly developed feet, Friends symbol until April 2005.
sects to meet its energy requirements, given hummingbirds can barely walk, but are Committee budgets, with one
its straight, narrow—and supposedly able to perch well enough. And yes, they exception, have been received. A budget
rigid—nectar-sipping bill. A new labora- do sleep. proposal for 2004-5 will be submitted to
tory study, conducted by Gregor M. Yanega Although there are about 300 known the membership in the July Desert Trum-
and Margaret A. Rubega of the University living species of hummingbirds, they are pet for voting at the August General
of Connecticut at Storrs, used high-speed only found in North and South America. Membership Meeting.
cameras to capture the image of a ruby- Until recently, the oldest fossils of hum- Eight new members were re-
throated hummingbird in the act of mingbirds were 1-million-year-old cruited at the Howard Hughes
snatching a fruit fly in mid-air. The bird specimens recovered from cave deposits Corporation’s Earthfaire held on April 17.
rushed at the insect with mouth wide open, in Central America. Two new specimens Ten new members joined at Red Rock
then added extra downward slant to its unearthed in southwestern Germany have Day. Friends will sponsor a booth at the
lower jaw—bending it part way along its been dated to between 34 million and 30 Festival in the Pines 2004 at the Las Vegas
length—even though the jaw has no joint. millions years ago. The newly identified Ski and Snowboard Resort on August 7.
Voila! species has the major short, stocky wing The nominating committee has
Although the hummer may be small, bones of modern species and a long nar- completed the slate of candidates for the
it’s no pushover. These little balls of en- row bill more than twice as long as its upcoming board election: President - Pat
ergy are fiercely territorial and will not skull—characteristics that suggest the birds Williams, Vice president - Ray Stafford,
hesitate to duke it out with a rival, protect- hovered and drank nectar. The implication Director - Blaine Benedict.

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