I talked with a hummingbird the other day. He was in a despondent mood. His problem reminded me of the one described by Michael Pollan's book "The Omnivore's Dilemma". Pollan posited the ever-present problem of the omnivore: what to eat? He and she can't eat everything and must choose. Choosing takes time and energy and omnivores are very busy.
The poor little bird basically said,"Why me? Why was I born with such a long bill, suitable only for trumpet-shaped flowers?" This guy was young and lacking in education and experience. I went to the usual source of information and learned that yes, nectar is primary and yes, it is high in sugar resulting in energy. But, like humans beginning to farm in the early days of agriculture, sweet is good but not adequate. Google says there are 361 species of the little speedy helicopters and they, like us, need protein. Evidently they get protein from a source I have read is a good one and may become more popular with my species in the future: insects! An
Google led me to https://birdfact.com/articles/what-do-hummingbirds-eat The page is part of Birdfact.com. It says that little hummingbird hearts beat up to 1260 beats a minute and they flap those wings 80 times a second.
This is a dropmore honeysuckle vine. Each orange trumpet is great for a hummingbird bill. The vine is planted against our dining room window and grows on a large brass frame. We get to see hummingbird visitors up close and speedy. I think I elevated the hummingbird's mood, a first for me.
