Mysterious, elusive creatures still take me back to the easy excitement of youth and while some are mythical like unicorns; others, like hummingbirds, are very, very real…

I still get a huge thrill when a hummingbird zips by although my feeder is not frequented very often.  But during a recent visit to my friend Joyce’s house, I was delighted not only with her breathtaking property, house and view but by the activity in her feeders, especially the hummingbird one.  I had my camera with me and was able to get a few shots but it was tricky as they sure do move fast.

Some hummingbird trivia:

• flap their wings 12-80 times per second
• fly at speeds up to 15 m/s (54 km/h or 34 mph) 
• like bees, can sense the sugar level of a flower, and only drink nectar if greater than 10% sugar
• only birds that can fly backwards
• average lifespan around 3-5 years although some can live as long as 10
• typically 3-5 inches in length