Hummingbirds

Last weekend D12 and I set up another couple of feeders for the hummers and an oriole feeder for the heck of it.I have been watching them for flying visitors all week. Since then, the nearby Black & Blue Salvia (Salvia guaranitica)and the Scarlet Bee Balm (Monarda didymaare) just starting to bloom.

I was rewarded for my patience (not my strong suit)this morning as this female Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)visited feeder and flowers.
I searched for information about them and found some amazing facts!
Their wings beat 40-80 times per second.
They breathe 250 times per minute.
Their heart beats 25 times per minute at rest and 1200 times per minute when they are feeding!
Their flight speed is normally about 30 mph increasing to about 50 mph when they need to make an escape and about 63 mph when in a dive.
They make a 18-20 hour NON-STOP flight across the Gulf of Mexico in their spring/fall migration!!



GoddessSupport tells me I need to increase my shutter speed to catch the wings in still frame...as if I know how to do that! I am so flummoxed by all the different camera settings. (He did it for me)