Rocky Mountain Hummingbird
Again on this Wednesday evening after busy hectic schedule , when im still working , i thought to take a small break. So why not again some nature and wild life visit with tv only as i dont have super power. So lets put on direct to to wild life channel, the very first channel is bbc earth again and here it showing some show related to rocky mountain, with animal such as elk, moose, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, black bear, grizzly bear, gray wolf, coyote, cougar, bobcat, Canada lynx, and wolverine and also about tracking, skiing , paragliding and most loving part is about two thing one is cute tiny hummingbird and my favorite horse riding ( i have wish that one day , i would be horse rider).
But today my writing point is about hummingbird, and big appreciation for tv channel and all those people who work hard to get this level beautiful picturization of tiny bird. I was so fascinated when i watch this bird very first time on television show, like im not sure about it was slomo or it was natural but every step of bird was so beautifully and carefully clicked.
It was so eye catching moment that i just want to hold it in my eyes for life time and just after that i start searching online about this bird.
This show rocky mountain included so many high point like when the girl( i dont remember name) skiing from top to the bottom side on icy mountain and than that top view of mountain where one male person who fly high in sky. I cant miss writing about that bighorn sheep fight where with every heavy punch of sheep you too can feel shivering in your bone. I cant skip writing about that newly born cute deer life story, that how her mom left her alone, so that she can be saved from hunters. I cant even skip that last part of horse riders , who walk through rocky terrain after victory.
I have so many thoughts in my mind but dont have proper words to describe each and every detail of show.
Actually i start to feel that i just return from a long fully fun packed vacation , Lol. I just the love the whole show idea.
But cant forget that spin in air of hummingbird.
Show Name: The Incredible Wildlife Of The Rocky Mountains
Channel: BBC Earth
Rocky Mountain
There are a wide range of environmental factors in the Rocky Mountains. ecologists divide the Rocky Mountain into a number of biotic zones. Each zone is defined by whether it can support trees and the presence of one or more indicator species. Two zones that do not support trees are the Plains and the Alpine tundra. The Great Plains lie to the east of the Rockies and is characterized by prairie grasses .
Every year the scenic areas of the Rocky Mountains draw millions of tourists. People from all over the world visit the sites to hike, camp, or engage in mountain sports.
Rocky Mountain National Park has reliable reports of six species of hummingbirds occurring within the park's boundaries. Broad-tailed hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycercus) are abundant throughout the summer. Rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) are the next most common, and arrive about the first of July. Black-chinned (Archilochus alexandri) and calliope hummingbirds (Stellula calliope) are rare and magnificent (Eugenes fulgens),and ruby-throated (Archilochus colubris) hummingbirds are probably accidental visitors.
Description
The smallest birds in the world belong to this family. In our region, they range in length from 2¼ inches to 5 inches (7 to 13 cm), and from 2 g to 10 g in weight. All in our region have long, pointed beaks for probing flowers for nectar, saber-like wings for hovering in front of flowers, a generally iridescent bronze or green dorsal surface, and primarily in males, bright, colorful throat and head patches. The iridescent throat patch is called the gorget.
Broad-tailed males' emerald-green backs and deep carmine-red throats stand out, as does the trilling sound their wings produce in flight. They're the classic hummingbird of the mountain meadows in the southern and central Rockies.
Rufous males are rusty-colored as their name implies and also quite feisty. These tiny vigilantes zip about defending feeders and flower patches against all others who come to feed.
Black-chinned Hummingbirds are named for the male's black chin which is lined by a band of iridescent purple. These slender hummingbirds are found from deserts and sagebrush country up into mountain forests.
Calliope Hummingbirds are North America's smallest, measuring roughly 3.5 inches from the tip of their tail to the end of their beak. Males' throats are streaked ruby and white, like a jeweled chest-piece.
They are called hummingbirds because the wing architecture and the rapid beat of their wings cause an audible hum when they fly.
Some hummingbirds can maneuver at 50 miles per hour, and when a dominant male chases a rival, it looks like a scene from Top Gun.
It's Migration Time!
Hummingbirds are on the wing throughout the Rocky Mountain region, preparing to fly thousands of miles south to their winter homes. These tiny winged dynamos are focused on two things: carb-loading for the long journey and resting up between bouts of feeding.
They Fly How Far?
Imagine weighing less than a dime and flying 5,600 miles round-trip each year between your wintering territory in Mexico and nesting habitat in the northern Great Basin, your wings beating at around 50 beats per second. That's life as a Calliope Hummingbird.
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds are loyal to place. They often return not just to the same valley, but to the very same tree or bush, where females may build a new nest atop their old one.
Black-chinned Hummingbirds nest as far north as British Columbia and winter as far south as central Mexico, flying "only" 3,000 to 4,000 miles round-trip each year.
Rufous hummingbirds migrate 3,900-miles from Alaska to Mexico. Their route takes them up the Pacific coast in late winter and spring, reaching Washington and British Columbia in May. As early as July, they fly south again, down through the Rocky Mountains.
Their wings beat 52 to 62 times per second, and you can tell they are near from their unique, low-pitch sound. They move a little slower and more deliberately around the feeders, but are even more skittish than the broad-tailed birds.
As summer progresses and the bright red Indian paintbrush blooms around the neighborhood, the hummingbirds compete for these flowers. It’s surprising to watch a particular male come out of nowhere to chase the females and the young away from their flowers.
Toward the end of May, other male broad-tailed hummers begin to arrive, as well as some females. It’s obvious when the females come to the neighborhood, because the males put on a fascinating display of aerial acrobatics to attract and impress their prospective mates. A male swoops over to one of the females sitting in a juniper tree and rapidly flies back and forth in a small arc of about 5 or 6 inches. Then he shoots straight up into the sky and dive bombs the female again in a large U-shaped pattern.
Life History
North American hummingbirds are highly territorial, both sexes protecting feeding territories, males protecting courtship territories, and females protecting nesting territories. These territories are protected by displays, songs, chases, or the mere presence of the hummer on an exposed perch.
Hummingbirds are promiscuous breeders. The male merely courts and mates with receptive females. The female may mate with more than one male, but she alone builds the nest, lays and incubates the eggs, and broods and tends the young.
Once the mating time ends, there is a short period of quiet in the neighborhood while the females begin building their nests. They collect spider webs from around the house and gather tiny pieces of lichen and bark. In less than a week, a female – with no help from the male – constructs a nest that will be able to expand with the growth of the young, like natural spandex.
The nest, when completed, has a plush interior made of spider webs, down and other soft materials to provide an insulating environment for the incubating eggs. The exterior is camouflaged with lichens, bark fragments, moss and other small vegetation.
Powering a High-energy Life
To fuel their long-distance migrations, hummingbirds slurp flower nectar, a high-test mix of dissolved plant sugars and minerals along with fat-rich pollen and high-protein insects that have gotten stuck in the sticky liquid. They lick nectar from flowers with their long, brush-tipped tongues (try that while hovering!) and convert it to metabolic energy at about 97 percent efficiency.
A single hummingbird drinks enough nectar in a day to drown a human (on an ounce for ounce basis). The energy required to power their hovering flight means they must feed constantly throughout the day, resting only to digest and make space for more food.
Planting to Feed Hummingbirds
To attract and sustain these "jewels of the air," plant some of their favorite nectar-bearing wildflowers. Feeders with sugar-water made with refined white sugar are fine as fast food but hummingbird plants provide more complete food, plus perches and shelter.
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