My recent bike rides have become interesting lately. I mean the last 3 out of four rides have had several flat tires from “Goat Heads” as it’s been explained to me recently. But I never thought it were possible to collide with animals. I mean maybe I could understand a dog, cat or squirrel…but a bird???
Early Spanish Explores called them “flying jewels” and indeed befitting of them as they are beautiful creatures. They are adorned with such diversity of color.
So, I am out riding my common path getting my workout and pushing myself for growth. I am now pacing at 20-22 mph and looking to make the next level of 22-24 mph. I am riding along a fenced wall separating the bus line from the bike path when something comes darting out at a high rated of speed and strikes my bike a the goose next area. I could tell it was a bird but not the type. Sparrows are common for darting out of bushes in this way and that’s what I assumed it was.
Whatever type of bird it was that struck me it fell to the ground in a tumbling way. All of this is happening as I am moving down the bike path at a decent clip. Just ahead about 30 yds or so came a stop light. I came to a stop and looked back and saw something lying motionless on the ground. I noticed another cyclist approaching the bird on the ground. He passed by it and avoided running over it but did nothing more than look at it as he continued by. I thought to myself, I should go and see if it is still alive. After all, I didn’t run over it with my wheels and maybe it was just dazed. But if it were slowly dying, I wouldn’t want it to be a horrific death as to be run over while injured!
So I turned around and headed back to where the bird lay. The cyclist I saw pass it by looked at me a bit odd but I paid him no mind. I parked my bike up against some bushes and noticed the tiniest bird I have ever had close contact with. It was a pretty sad seen as it appeared to be in a great deal of pain but its eyes were open and it was breathing or rather panting. I could tell (or assumed) that it had only the wind knock out of it but I went further to check it for apparent injuries. I found no blood or anything that appeared to obvious signs of impending death…so I waited.
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I decided to pick the little creature and hold him for a bit. It was pretty hot out and the ground I’m sure was the same. It was at this point I realized that it was no doubt a Hummingbird I had in my hands. It looked up at me as if to say “why are you helping me?” I proceeded to check its wings to see if they still projected naturally; I looked over its long and narrow beak for damage; I checked its feet and found that after a close observation, my conclusion is it had been knocked silly and needed time to recover…so I waited.
I began to stoke and pet the little creature and it stared at me as if to say “why are you helping me?” It began to stand on its feet all the while wobbling and spread its wings. It certainly was not quite ready to take off and go about its way but it sure was trying its best to do so. Shortly, it became stable in its posture and began more aggressively to flap its wings. Seeing this I became confident that it would survive and that it likely did not sustain internal damage other than being completely shaken up by the event. I decided to perch it on a branch on the bush to see what it would do. The Hummingbird sat there and rested still flapping it’s wings and looked to be recovering just fine…so I waited.
By this time I felt that there was nothing more that I could offer the creature but the hope that it would fully recover and continue on its way. I knew I would be passing back by this area on my way home so I would check on where I left it and hope that all would be fine.
On my way back home I stopped off where I had left the Hummingbird to see what was what. It was no longer perched on the branch to which I had placed him. I looked around on the ground and in the bushes surrounding about a 3-4 foot radius…no Hummingbird to be found. I could only assume that it recovered and went humming along its way (pun intended).
So why did I take the time to care for something apparently insignificant when compared to us humans? Because I don’t live on this earth alone. I share it with other human beings and other life forms. I have learned that we all have a place in it and man and beast can only prosper when we human beings learn to respect what we each bring to this earth. Yes I am sensitive but that’s what makes me a man.
I just want share a few interesting things about this incredible creature:
Only found naturally in the Americas
Second largest family of birds in the Western Hemisphere
Tiniest birds in the world
Most Hummingbirds die within the first year of life
Wings rotate 360 degrees and beat 70 times per second
Flight speed averages 25-30 mph with burst up to 60 mph!
325 species of Hummingbirds
They visit an average 1000 flowers per day
They are very intelligent and can remember every flower they have been to and how long it takes a flower to refill
They are aggressive and territorial (imagine that!)
Happy cycling!
I have a background in sales working with architects, builders, developers, and homeowners in the fenestration side of the building industry. I spent 16 years in that industry starting at the age of 24. I enjoyed the challenge of working with people who often times did not have a clue as to what they needed or wanted for that matter for their project. This afforded me the honorable reputation for having great patience and tenacity.I became interested in network marketing a few years after I was laid off in 2008. I basically wanted a way to prevent being laid off ever again and network marketing would provide that means.I currently keep busy with the task of learning how to build and grow my business by educating myself on the industry and techniques.My short term goal is to obtain the skill sets required to establish firm roots in this industry. The end result (long term goal) of that leads to helping others develop the blueprint to their success which is the essence of network marketing. To your success, Arnold Watson
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