She got you jumpin’ off the deck
Shovin’ into overdrive – Kenny Loggins

The Backyard Series

For the next several weeks, I’ll be delivering posts from “The Backyard Series,” which is exactly like it sounds – a series of posts with images and stories centered around the happenings in and around our backyard. These posts are dedicated to my wife who has spent the past 20+ years of her life dedicated to the beautification of our little slice of the American Dream.

Post 2:

Ruby

My grandma was named Ruby. She lived to 102 and she spent most of her life going full speed. The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird does much the same thing. Their wing flap speed is somewhere between 50-80 times per second. Weighing about as much as the now extinct penny, these fascinating birds can hover in place, they can fly sideways and backwards and upside down and can reach speeds of nearly 60 mph (and up to 200 wing flaps per second) during their courtship dives with willing partners. They can zip around at about 20-30 mph between flowers in the yard.

I wonder who the first scientists/mathematicians were that took video and were able to slow it down to a level that allowed them to count the wing flaps per second or calculate the speed with which they travel. They must have been amazed by these magnificent beauties wrapped up in the tiniest of packages.

It’s late August and that means the Ruby-Throats are coming through Arkansas on their migration south. They are just one of approximately 360 different species of hummingbirds, and are the type you are most likely to see in Arkansas. Interestingly, hummingbirds are only found in the Americas. They are some of the first birds to migrate back from the north to Central and South America with the males coming through first followed by the females and then the youngsters born during the spring.

Some of these hummers are traveling from Canada to Costa Rica, so they need food. They need fuel to make it to their winter homes and for those times when they fly 500 miles over water before finding land and more fuel.

I love seeing the hummingbirds zip and zoom around the back yard during these months. I’ve had several encounters in my backyard with them over the years. There will be times I’m just sitting in a chair on the back porch and one will hover just a few feet directly in front of me for a few seconds, staring me down, sizing up my threat level? Inquisitive and amazing little birds they are. I am even amazed that they use the hummingbird swing (photo above) I placed on one of the branches of our maple tree near one of our feeders.

Besides the sports car comparison, with football season approaching, they remind me of the elusive undersized running backs who you see on tv eluding larger defenders in not so much a demonstration of ability but almost more as self preservation.

Most of all though, the hummingbirds remind me of fighter jets ascending, descending, attacking, fleeing, and all at speeds most of us can’t even comprehend or understand.

You’ll never say hello to you
Until you get it on the red line overload
You’ll never know what you can do
Until you get it up as high as you can go

I love that you can find practically anything on the internet. “Hummingbirds + Danger Zone”… and voilà! Thank you @therustyone7 wherever you are…

Highway to the danger zone
Gonna take it right into the danger zone
Highway to the danger zone
Ride into, the danger zone

My very first post on this site was in July of 2016, and was just a silly little nod to “Kenny Bloggins.” I thought it clever some 10+ years ago. The post contained no video, and no real message other than it was #1 in what I was sure probably wouldn’t last very long. But, here I am ten years later, ten more years garnering wisdom, ten years of learning and laughter and tears and joy.

Ten years and all things lead back to Kenny Loggins. One of the great movies of all-time. Surely a top five 80’s movie and also one of the great movie theme songs of all-time. Truly a fitting song for today’s post about the wonderful, fabulous Ruby-Throated Hummingbird… “Danger Zone”…

sincerely,

the80’s