Grandma Henke

Okay, so I need to erase that ugly image of the cock roach from your minds … how about this one? It is a tiny little humming bird nest right outside my living room window. I wish it was a better picture but every time I tried to get closer she would fly off … actually fly at me and I would fly off. My zoom did it’s best. You can compare the size of it by the size of the Christmas lights … yes I did say Christmas lights. (I should write a separate blog about those lights.) This same little lady comes every year … either she does or some one who looks exactly like her . She and her man love to build a nest between the pretty lights. I couldn’t stand the lights up year round so we cut the cord before and after her nest. Talk about a spoiled bird. I think of her as Mrs. H. Focus on the nest, please and don’t look at the cobwebs … We must be mixing holidays … Memorial Day, Christmas, and Halloween. Can you see the tiny little baby bird mouths poking up on either side of her? I wish I’d caught her actually poking her long beak into their open little mouths. It was enough to move me to tears … very different from my cock roach experience.

Now facts about Mrs. H: She is the smallest bird and weighs less than a nickel. Her babies will not leave the nest until they are full grown because they can’t fly until then, and their tiny little wings beat about 60-80 times a second …Holy cow, that’s the truth! I researched several sights to validate it. You can see for yourself if you want. Not only that it can fly 25 miles per hour! Not bad for the tiniest bird alive is it? Oh now, listen to this, THE HEART BEATS ABOUT 250 TIMES PER MINUTE WHILE AT REST AND ABOUT 1,200 MILES PER MINUTE WHILE FLYING. How can that be? It also breathes 250 times a minute while resting. Just breathing would wear you out! It also said the they only live 1 to 3 years average but the longest one on record was 9. They don’t use the same nest but it says they often use the same site … interesting.

Oh … did I mention how long my cat sits and stares out the window at her?    Last year the humming bird used to fly right up to the window in front of the cat and look at her … about drove FiFi nuts.   It was like the humming bird was taunting her.     I love my pets … even Mrs. H.