This evening I had to walk to the library to meet with my presentation group. Sugata would not let me leave without my heaviest coat, snow pants and a pair of mittens. "It's cold," he said, "and it's going to get even colder on your way back. It's supposed to drop to twenty-two."
It was cold and is cold. Another cold snap. I'm not sure how I feel about that, except cold. I keep finding myself thinking of Wim Hof and wondering how to talk to my hypothalamus to keep my core temperature even. I also find myself thinking about "Buzz."
On NW 24th, a street we walk on with some regularity to go to the Food Front Co-op, there is an apartment that has hummingbird feeders right in front of its windows. We stopped and watched as we like to, despite feeling a little like an intruder lingering in front of the apartment windows with our cameras. But as we are standing there a man opens the door. "That's Buzz," he says, "He can't retract his tongue. We wondered if he survived last winter, but it looks like he's still here." The man didn't talk with us long, but it was long enough for me to suddenly feel concerned for this tiny hummingbird. He became an individual.
It was cold and is cold. Another cold snap. I'm not sure how I feel about that, except cold. I keep finding myself thinking of Wim Hof and wondering how to talk to my hypothalamus to keep my core temperature even. I also find myself thinking about "Buzz."
On NW 24th, a street we walk on with some regularity to go to the Food Front Co-op, there is an apartment that has hummingbird feeders right in front of its windows. We stopped and watched as we like to, despite feeling a little like an intruder lingering in front of the apartment windows with our cameras. But as we are standing there a man opens the door. "That's Buzz," he says, "He can't retract his tongue. We wondered if he survived last winter, but it looks like he's still here." The man didn't talk with us long, but it was long enough for me to suddenly feel concerned for this tiny hummingbird. He became an individual.
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| This is "Buzz" an Anna's Hummingbird. Notice the long, curved tongue sticking out from the black beak. |
I wonder what it is like to have a tongue that cannot retract. How does he drink nectar? What other challenges does he face? Does the cold bring extra challenges for him compared to other hummingbirds?
Sugata and I have noticed that we tend to see more Anna's hummingbirds in the autumn or winter than we do in the summer. I am guessing this is because their food sources become less diverse. In the summer they may spread out more as there are more sources to feed from, but in winter or autumn they seem to frequent neighborhood feeders, which we also pass by.
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