Jan 05 2010
Hummingbirds on January 10th!
It’s cold and snowy here in Pittsburgh but we’re about to be delighted by hummingbirds. Next Sunday January 10 at 8:00pm PBS’s Nature show will feature Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air.
I watched the preview last weekend and was wowed by these tiny jewels. Did you know that hummingbirds are the smallest warm-blooded animal on earth? That they only occur in the Western Hemisphere? That their wings provide lift from both sides? That they’re related to swifts? I learned a lot, and that wasn’t even the best part.
Filmed in high definition, high speed video the producers slowed down the action so you can see the hummingbirds’ wingbeats. There was slow motion footage of hummingbirds courting, eating and fighting (imagine that!). The closeups are so close that you can see the claws on the hummingbird’s toes as he grasps the edge of a flower. They recorded the 60 mph courtship dive of the male Anna’s hummingbird and the waving tail feathers of the rare Marvelous Spatuletail. Beautiful and amazing!
The producers traveled far and wide to film these gorgeous birds. You might even recognize the people in the film including hummingbird bander Nancy Newfield of Louisiana. But the birds themselves are the stars.
Click on the photo to watch previews of the show. Then tune in at 8:00pm EST on Sunday, January 10 to see Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air. In Pittsburgh watch it on WQED or check your local PBS schedule for exact times in your area.
(photo of a Velvet-purple Coronet from Nature: Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air)
Here’s a site where I put on uTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jED4ajW-j-A.
My husband, Richard, and I are friends with Libby.
Love your Blog.
CSM
What an incredible preview! I can’t wait to see the program. Thanks Kate!
Watched this show this evening with my husband. It was wonderful to have this much enjoyment on this very very still cold & snowy western Pa. evening. Thanks for having this reminder for us. I was just marveled at the birds history, life and some threatened future & even people in far off places worry also. I have some nests up close & personal but the one that lives by the Cooper’s Hawk was the most intriguing. Gives us glimpses of the good things in life.
Thanks again Kate. Faith Cornell
Chuck Tague’s website includes a story of the ruby-throated hummingbird’s journey. See it at:
http://web.me.com/kingrail/Natureobserver/Endless_Journey,_a_hummingbirds_story.html
Do hummingbirds recognize those who feed them? I really wonder as they will fly around me when I refill their feeders. Thank you.
I don’t think they recognize us as individuals. To them we are probably just big moving critters that are in the way of their access to food. They aren’t afraid of us.