Close Encounter of the Avian Kind

I opened my front door this morning to be greeted by a hummingbird flying straight at me, in a friendly way. I assumed it would fly off immediately but no, it kept coming back to the porch four or five times.

public domain

What is it about interacting with an animal that is so captivating? An even better experience is when it is aware of your presence and seems to acknowledge it in some way. Don't you just wish you could have a real conversation with them. 

 

Photo: Kristin Harris

I was saddened by the fact that I had recently pulled up scores of zinnias that had attracted the hummingbirds and many other birds and insects, especially the yellow finches. Maybe the hummingbird this morning was registering a protest or asking where they went?

Hummingbirds can be belligerent  little bullies. I was quite surprised to learn this recently. I didn't see this behavior with the zinnias. Perhaps I would have seen it if I had a hummingbird feeder. I makes sense that they protect their sources of food and mating territory. They don't look like toughies!

What kind of close encounter did you have today?


Related Post:

Have You Thanked a Tree Today

https://anim8nature.blogspot.com/2018/03/have-you-thanked-tree-today.html


Animating Nature & Science

I see a world where the transformative power of art and the creative problem solving of science blossom together. This is possible when we encourage our children to explore science with art and allow them time to imagine and create. Anim8Nature is dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship by exploring science with art and encouraging careful observation of the natural world.

Learn more about Anim8Nature.com on this blog and our website. I have assembled a team of experts to create media, lesson plans and workshops to help students and families explore science with art. We want to spark curiosity and get kids outside as environmental stewards. Join us.

A Moment with a Praying Mantis

Creating content for children appeals to me primarily because children have a sense of wonder that many lose as adults. Children's imagination engine is firing on all cylinders. It doesn't hurt that my mental age is 5 years old. There is a natural affinity.

Many of our formative experiences as children frame our lives.  So as a creator, it's fun to imagine producing content that makes that kind of impression. It's even more fun to have those experiences that engage the awe and wonder of childhood.

Praying Mantis        Public Domain

InMotion: Snippets of Nature

8 Seconds of Animation

I spent 4 days this week working on 8 seconds of animation. Why?

InMotion 

InMotion is a series of very short animations documenting movement in a variety of organisms or natural objects for Anim8Nature, a resource to explore science with art. Many are creatures I see regularly but others are new discoveries for me, like the seadragon.

I strongly believe that we all benefit from carefully observering the natural world. Part of my natural world are piliated woodpeckers. I hear them sometimes on my walks in the woods and see them when I'm lucky.

I want to inspire others, especially children to be careful observers of their immediate environment and beyond by creating these shorts and suggesting ways to explore the science facts with art and animation. We do this on our website, Youtube and in workshops for kids and families.

Anim8Nature: Making A Better World

InMotion: Oak Leaves

My efforts to find funding for my series of animated short science documentaries, Anim8Nature has included viewing various webinars. New to this process of convincing funders to support my work, I am appreciative of expert advice.

The last webinar I watched was presented by GrantHub with Jana Hexter of GrantwritingRevealed.com. What I got out of this hour was to take the widest possible view of my work and focus on what it's "about" and how it makes the world a better, more beautiful place.

Animating Fall

I love fall. Cooler weather is invigorating.  The changing colors of the leaves can be spectacular but it is the way the leaves fall that most intrigues me. I am fascinated by their apparent surrender as they travel to the ground with so much variation and grace.

My mother loved these lines from Cyrano de Bergerac: 

CYRANO: The autumn leaves! Ay, see how brave they fall, In their last journey downward from the bough, To rot within the clay; yet, lovely still, Hiding the horror of the last decay, With all the wayward grace of careless flight!

Animating Fungus: You Have to Be Kidding

My biggest creative challenge to date is my desire to share my fascination with mycelium with kids 5 to 8 years old. I see fungi in the woods on my walks and have enjoyed on occasion documenting these sightings.

A number of years ago my son gave me a copy of Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets. I was absolutely intrigued by this idea that mycelia form incredibly large networks underground.(Watch his TED talk if you haven't seen it.)