Our hummingbirds have names, day 26

Squeak sat in her little nest
and poked her sister Squawk
I think, she said, that we should have
a sister-sister talk.
If we don’t fly I’m just afraid
that one of us will smother
And, Lordy, that will disappoint
our helicopter-mother.
Susan Winning
 

The remaining hummingbird seems nonplussed by its sibling’s absence. In fact, I think it rather enjoys having extra room in which to spread his wings and fluff out its feathers. Look closely at the plumage on its head…see that tiny bit of purple poking through? The one who flew the coop yesterday had even more purple on its head. It’s still too early to be certain of their sex, but male Costa’s Hummingbirds have purple crowns.

Earlier today I met with Dave Brandt, a certified Bird and Bird Feeding expert at Wild Birds Unlimited. He graciously agreed to select the winning entry in the Hummingbird Naming Contest. 

Dave indulged my whimsy undertook his responsibilities with all due seriousness. First he read carefully through all the entries, nodding and smiling at the (16!) high-caliber submissions. Then looking off into the distance, he reflected on his choices. In the end, he gave his resounding endorsement to the names submitted by Sharon, aka whiskersink. 

Tama (which means jewel) and Itzel (which means rainbow)

If you haven’t yet read the Mayan folk tale on which they’re based, you simply must.

Thanks for judging the contest, Dave! I love your store, and I’m so grateful for all you’re teaching me about these tiny creatures. Thanks also to everyone who entered this contest — your ideas were fabulous, and I love that you’re sharing this miracle with me. And, of course, special congratulations to you, Sharon! Please send me your address, so I can send you a copy of Flight Plans: A Bird’s-eye View of Life. 

20 Comments

    • Wow, what a great idea! Especially with all those great color photos.

      I know you don’t technically write children’s books/stories, Melodye … but I’ll bet you could write an amazing story, if you wanted to.

      • I think it’d be fun, and maybe there’d be some interest. I’d need to do some research first, to find out how to write for children and to whom I’d submit my story. I’m open to ideas, ahem. 🙂

        • Read some Highlights mags, and some others that are a bit younger perhaps? I’m not as familiar with the younger mags, but I know others on LJ would love to help you out — and you know any of us will do some critting for you for sure. This story is so fascinating, I seriously dreamed abt hummingbirds the other night — it had to be bc of your LJ. 🙂 You’re already doing the research and even talking to an expert who you can quote! Definitely a great start!

    • I don’t know anything about the children’s market, but from all the comments I’ve gotten, maybe it’s time to do some research….

      Thanks so much for the vote of encouragement!!

  9. OMG! I don’t believe it! I really won!! Other people wrote terrific poems and came up with great names. All I did was go into my WIP folder and dig out the folktale I had rewritten about hummingbirds and try to condense it, hitting only some of the highlights.

    I have around 35 finished folk/fairy tales that I have rewritten and 15 more that are in the sloppy copy stage and they all revolve around some aspect of nature. When I’m stuck on the revisions for Ned or Footprints in the Snow I go back and rewrite another fairytale and it seems to get the juices flowing again

    A special “Thank You” to Dave and to you too, Melodye! This is so cool!

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