09/25/2005   English German
  Edition # 56  
San Francisco, 09-25-2005

Hummingbirds
Figure [1]: Hummingbird incoming!

I'm not exactly Heinz Sielmann, but in sunny California, there are some curiosities in the animal kingdom that even fascinate me as a techie. Recently, we were in Point Reyes, and during a hike, I almost stepped on a snake that slithered lightning-fast across the path. Phew, that was a close call.

We had rented a cottage, and the owner had set up two sugar water containers to attract the local hummingbirds. I had seen these fascinating birds before, but I had never noticed the racket their wings make when you're standing 6 feet away. And the creatures zoom around each other so quickly that it makes you dizzy.

Figure [2]: The hummingbird sips at the sugar water.

A hummingbird is only about two inches in size, but as is well known, they do not glide through the air like normal birds; instead, they hover in place like an insect. To remain stationary in the air despite their not insignificant weight, they must move their wings so quickly that you can only see blurred outlines, similar to a helicopter rotor. Because of the humming sound they make, those creatures whose German name is "Kolibris" are called "Hummingbirds" in English.

RSS Feed
Mailing Liste
Impressum
Mike Schilli Monologues

Get announcements for new editions

New editions of this publication appear in somewhat random intervals. To receive a brief note when they're available in your mailbox (about once every two months on average), you can register your email on the 'usarundbrief' Google Groups list.

Your email address
All Editions:

 

Send us a comment
We'd like to hear from you, please send us feedback if you want to comment on the content or have suggestions for future topics.

Simply write your your message into the text box below. If you'd like a response from us, please also leave your email. If you want to stay anonymous, simply put 'anonymous' into the email field. This way we'll get the message, but we have no way to respond to you.

Your email address

Message
 
Contact the authors
Latest update: 11-Dec-2025