They All Look Alike - Or Do They?

This female broad tail hummingbird is distinctive and we can tell the difference between her and the others easily. Recently after our last 26" snow storm Carol found a dead female broad tail outside in the snow and we thought it might be our special girl.

Three years ago a female flew into the window and appeared to have died but we picked her up and held her, talked to her, stroked her head and discovered she was not dead but only injured. Now after making a recovery she sits for long periods and holds her head up just like in the photo. Her body posture is different from the other hummingbirds and she has a slight tremor. She has migrated each year and managed to survive even with her disability. Each year she returns not only to the same feeder but to the same feeding hold on that feeder. After the storm was over we thought we had lost her but three days later she was back again to our abounding joy.

Over the years her tremors have become less and she still manages to survive and thrive. Most folks would not notice how she is different from the others but for us it is easy to see. We have enjoyed her presence and have also noticed the other hummingbirds do not attempt to chase her away. She has taught us a great deal of coping with a disability and yet surviving in spite of that handicap. She is one tough girl and we wanted to share her with our readers. For such a small bird she migrates hundreds of miles a year and find her way back to not only the same feeder but the same feeding hole each year is astounding.

They are amazing birds which can do this and they are equipped with a GPS system that is simply amazing. Our education of birds and animals since we have lived here is simply unbelievable. We had one female deer that took in orphan  fawns and raised them as her own. She survived a mountain lion attack and had the scars to prove it. Her compassion for orphan fawns was simply amazing. We had a sow black bear that used our house to raise and train her cubs. She tolerated us and our dogs and used us as training tools to educate her little cubs. Living with wild life can be highly rewarding if you only take the time to observe and respect them.