Blog archive
April 2024
Stimulated by "Caste"
04/22/2024
Tulsa reparations, Religion and Politics
04/09/2024
March 2024
Trumps War with Black Women
03/31/2024
Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village
03/25/2024
Coming Soon: More Resources for Older Americans, Online and in Person
03/25/2024
Community Building Locally and Nationally
03/25/2024
Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not
03/25/2024
Volunteering is at The Heart of the Village
03/25/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
03/25/2024
Writing Memoirs Together
03/25/2024
Current Views on Current Events
03/20/2024
Unchained
03/18/2024
Rumr of Humor issue # 2409
03/10/2024
Blacks Portrayed by European Artists
03/03/2024
Rumor of Humor #2408
03/03/2024
February 2024
Caring for Ourselves and Each Other
02/27/2024
Doug Colliflower Honored
02/27/2024
Great Decisions Connects Us to the Worldwide Community
02/27/2024
Letter from the President
02/27/2024
Pasadena Village's Impact
02/27/2024
The Power of Touch
02/27/2024
Villages as a New Approach to Aging
02/27/2024
Addressing Gang Violence in Pasadena-Altadena
02/21/2024
Rumor of Humor Issue 2407
02/19/2024
Thank You For Caring.
02/12/2024
Rumor of Humor 2405
02/11/2024
Curve Balls
02/10/2024
Sylvan Lane
02/10/2024
Rumor of Humor 2404
02/09/2024
Larry Duplechan, Blacks in Film
02/03/2024
January 2024
Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign
01/29/2024
Rumor of Humor #2403
01/28/2024
Pasadena Village Joins Two Healthy Aging Resource Projects
01/25/2024
Decluttering: Do It Now
01/24/2024
Village Volunteers Contribute to the Huntington Magic
01/24/2024
Villagers Creating Community
01/24/2024
Villagers Reflect on Black History Month
01/24/2024
Walk With Ease, 2024
01/24/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2402
01/21/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2401
01/15/2024
Re- Entry Programs, a Personal Experience
01/08/2024
"Daniel's Tree Is Her Home" by Lisa Davis
By Meanderings BLOGPosted: 06/10/2021
I try to be very quiet as I slide open the heavy door to the balcony, and then the screen door. I move very, very slowly, but when I look toward the tree, the hummingbird has flown her nest. It is the female who builds the nest, sits on her egg, and raises the young. After mating, the male takes no more responsibility. Since yesterday, Mama bird lowers her long, curved beak into the nest, feeding her baby the nectar she collects in the neighborhood.
This is the fourth year that a hummingbird has built a nest in the potted tree on my upper balcony. The tree is a cherished memory of my son Daniel, who started it during his last year of life. It has grown to about nine feet, and the nests are always in the upper branches. I sit down quietly in the chair furthest from the nest, and wait for Mama to return. When she does, she buzzes around the balcony, then zooms directly toward me, hovers inches from my face, and then flies away. Her message is pretty clear: “Get out of here; I want to feed my baby." I sit still like a statue, and out of the corner of my eye, I see her return to the nest and it looks like she is feeding her baby.
Hummingbirds are the smallest migrating birds, live about five years, and sometimes longer. They remember people, say the experts. I wonder if it is the same bird who has visited me for four years, and builds nests in Daniel’s tree. She skipped last year, the year of the pandemic. Smart bird!
Hummingbirds have very long, deeply grooved tongues to hold the nectar they collect from blooms around them. They also eat tiny insects. They love colors, and red is their favorite. They can fly not only forward, but sideways, backwards, and for a short while, even upside down.
These little creatures migrate as much as 4,000 miles, and can fly 500 miles without stopping. Their wings flutter eighty times per second and make a humming noise - hence the name. The male is the colorful, iridescent one, while the female needs to be less conspicuous as nest sitter. Like bees, they are excellent pollinators.
Does my resident hummingbird choose my balcony because it is somewhat protected? Does she remember me? Every year I take a few photos with my iPhone, but I cannot get very close. The first year, my son-in-law took some wonderful close-ups with his telephoto lens.
I have not kept track of the times of her visits, and I have not added a hummingbird feeder. I like to let nature take her course.