Well no wonder Europe is Gloomy

Soooo as you can probably tell by my Pen name, I like hummingbirds.  No, I should correct that, I LOVE hummingbirds.  They are so small, cute, and feisty little boogers.  Plus they come in a plethora of coloration and variations in size and attitude, and they drink SUGAR...well not exactly, but come on, a tiny little creature that defies physics, hovers like a helicopter to drink nectar from flowers and looks like a iridescent jewel, what's not to love?  (Well besides being dive bombed by a territorial nesting bird...that is somewhat less fun, but hey a bird has to guard his turf right?)

I have always loved watching and feeding these marvels of creation, so I was anxious to get our little feeder out and set up over here in Germany.  Well I was excited, until I tried to learn the German word for Hummingbird from some friends.  I showed them the feeder as well as the wind-spinner with the laser engraving of a hummingbird to explain what bird I was trying to learn about.  Both items were met with confused looks and the response.  "Do you mean the birds that go ratta-ratta-ratta on trees?" Indicating with their hands what one could only assume was a woodpecker impersonation.  Woodpeckers are also cool, but they are not hummingbirds.  After some more attempts to explain the object of my query, it was decided that they didn't know of the bird I was speaking of and I nonchalantly mentioned it was possible that they weren't native to the area, or possibly even Germany and that German may not have a word for hummingbird then.

  So that night I decided I was going to find out what if any Hummingbirds were native to Europe.  If you type in European Hummingbird into Google, you will learn fairly quickly what I did, I was correct in my assessment that there are no hummingbird species native to Germany.  I was appalled to learn that not only are they not native to Germany, there are no wild hummingbirds in all of Europe.  You know why?  Because...

There are absolutely no native hummingbird species found in the entire Eastern Hemisphere of our planet!!!

What!?!  Yep, it is a very sad and depressing thought that all of this half of the globe does not know the wonder and beauty that is the hummingbird, now I know why Hickory has never been able to find the word Hummingbird in the languages he has learned and therefor has always had to settle for calling me "sparrow" or "little bird" in those languages.  Boo.  (In unrelated news, why is this half the "Eastern Hemisphere" and the Americas are in the "Western Hemisphere"...it's a round object that spins, so doesn't that mean that at certain point in the 24hr cycle the East is West and the West is East?  Doesn't it depend on which side of the globe you are looking at as to which parts are a "hemisphere"?  Geographical demarcation laws elude me.  If anyone is more read up on who set the standard as it is and why, feel free to let me know in the comments, but as it is unlikely anyone really reads my ramblings, I will just sigh and say, poor poor Eastern Hemisphere, no wonder Europe is gloomy.  Not only is it cloudy, cold, and wet (not to mention dark during the winter), but they don't even have the benefit of the happy go lucky Hummingbird to come brighten their yard.   For them I shall include a video of one of my favorite avian friends.

If you are thinking, "Well no, but I'm sure they have other bright birds."  Let me tell you that at least here in Germany, after looking through the entire 518+ native and introduced/accidental bird varieties that can be found here...there are almost none with brilliant plumage or distinction.  Yes folks, the bird life here is as gray/brown as the surrounding mountainsides.  This doesn't mean it isn't beautiful, no the songs the birds here have are magnificent, even if their feathers are not much to look at.  So my hummingbird feeder is being taken down, and I may even just go ahead and mail it to my mom, since it will not see use here for many years, and if we end up living in Africa some day, it won't see any use there.  Although Hickory did find out they have Wikipedia article on Hummingbird Hawk Moths here...which at least LOOK like hummingbirds, even though they are really just big bugs.  :)

Hmmm...wonder how hard it is to get a hummingbird for a pet?...On second thought, nah, would need special licensing and fees I'm sure, and I wouldn't want to have a pet that any vet near here would have likely never seen let alone treated should anything go wrong.

For now I will be happy with our seed and suet feeders and the birds that occompany them, and hey there is at least one Hummingbyrd living in Germany, she's right here and isn't planning on leaving anytime soon.  Although I believe she does need to go and work on the dishes, as her nest is looking a bit too cluttered at the present time.  ~Hummingbyrd, saddened, but surviving