Awesome
I had a friend who many years ago was climbing 22,000’ Mount Huascaran in the Peruvian Andes. He was sitting at high camp around 20,000 feet when a hummingbird landed on the toe of his big climbing boot. He figured it had been blown up there by the winds coming up from the valley below and had been attracted to the bright red laces on the boots. He said it seemed to look at him for a while, then took off and disappeared on the wind.
I had an encounter with one at an archaeology field camp in the Wyoming mountains one summer – I had fastened a short string of bright colored miniature Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags to the guyline of our mess tent, and they were among the few spots of color in a mostly grey green landscape. I was standing near them chatting with the camp cook as she worked one afternoon when I spotted a hummer buzzing up and down the flags, hovering at each of the red and yellow ones in turn (apparently expecting nectar rich flowers) . When it inspected the last one it rose up and hovered right in front of my face for a few moments and I swear it was one pissed off little bird.
Remarkable birds. Saw one today, hitting the Bee Balm I planted. It was a male and I wondered if we were acquainted.
Hummers are drawn to bright red things. When I owned a Klein bike in their signature neon orange-red, they would hover next to the frame.
Like Tinkerbell
'neath witches spell
buzzed beak with non-alight,
serpent flight stutter
heart 'n wing aflutter
airy pause visual delight,
eagle most chose
if bird I’d’ s’pose
alofts a soul on high,
but mighty heart
little wings depart
to hum on home cross sky.