Hummingbirds are amazing creatures that have captivated us for years. The feeders that are sold so that we can view these tiny birds up close are varietal and numerous, a staple for many homes within their habitat. The Ruby-throated hummingbird is one that most of North America is at least familiar with. The birds normally beat their wings around 65 times per second but can reach up to 200 beats per second. Their heart rate, and metabolism, are equally as impressive. They are incredibly fast yet they can be moving so fast and still in the air at the same time.
This quality makes the hummingbird unique, and a life lesson for all of us. The hummingbird can be both focused and expeditious at the same time, and still able to flit from place to place at speeds of over 30 mph when needed. These small birds captivated me as I sat on my relative’s porch in the country, watching them interact with each other around the nectar provided.
Spending a day in the country was exactly what I needed. I had been running around to so many places, accomplishing so many goals, that I honestly felt like a hummingbird. I was exhausted and I needed to revitalize myself for some further exploration. In hummingbird lingo, I really needed to enter torpor. My relatives’ home (who cooks the best salmon dishes I’ve had to date) was far from the reaches of my cell reception and distractions, the perfect haven after being on the go for over 2 weeks.
The countryside of St. Lawrence county rolls with green hills, dairy farms dotting the landscape. In the fields adjoining their property were horses, goats, cattle, geese and other domestic animals, as well as an abundance of wild animals including many beautifully-colored birds. Granite outcrops adorned the fields looking like round, gray elephants laying down for a nap. It was a beautiful view to take in.
I spent a long time sitting on the porches at the different bird feeders, mostly the hummingbird feeders, observing them interact with another. One hummingbird would lay claim to a feeder, and when it finished feeding it would find a good branch with a view of it’s feeder and watch to fend off the feeder from others of his kind that dared to take a drink. The hummingbird was never allowed to take an eye off it’s feeder, for every few minutes another would approach and they would zip through the air quarreling over nectar rights.
I couldn’t help but think to myself how amazing the hummingbirds were, to be able to move their wings so fast and stand still. It reminded me of myself as I watched them flit from place to place, each stop but a rapid action in space. I have many interests, and I try hard to be successful at everything I do. This means my attention is often divided, and I have to flit from place to place like the humming bird. This doesn’t mean I don’t accomplish much: I actually accomplish a lot. Even with all this movement I still have one main focus in life, my nectar that I feel compelled to place at the top in hierarchy.
Life is a journey like that of the hummingbird’s flight. We move from place to place, working hard to achieve what we want, but still having that one feeder to claim as our niche in life. Even if we change feeders at one point in life, even several points, we always have that one thing that keeps us driven to do everything else that we require of ourselves. Make sure you accomplish this like the hummingbird: every second counts when life is so short (but not to forget that torpor is a necessity for life to go on…our metabolism can only go so long).
-Nicole
