Where Do Hummingbirds Go... ©2011 Rob Hanson Photography.com
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We’re back up and online… at least for the moment. As you may know, our town in North Carolina was the first to bear the brunt of Hurricane Irene on 8.27.11 We took a direct hit, as we so often seem to do, and it has taken this long to clear the debris and get power restored, although service is still a bit spotty. We lost all the trees in our yard save for one.
While the storm winds were not a severe as we’ve taken in the past — NC seems to be a hurricane magnet — the size and duration were larger than I’ve ever seen. Winds started picking up on Friday night, we lost power in the middle of the night, and landfall occurred on Saturday. Even toward sunset on Saturday, the winds were still whistling through the shingles.
The combined effect of heavy rain and extended strong winds caused a lot of tree damage in the area. Fortunately, most structures stayed intact, but the number of downed trees and power lines is just stunning. Even as of Wednesday morning, there are still quite a number of people without power.
We might have been the lucky ones. Up north in New York and Vermont, the damage from heavy rainfall is incredible and sad. I think they fared much worse up there. It goes to show that with these tropical storms, you never can take them too lightly.
Shortly after the storm, we went out to inspect the area and were pleased to hear birds chirping, as well as a pair of hummingbirds that have called our yard home.
We were left wondering: Where do hummingbirds go for protection from 90MPH winds? They’re so light and fragile, it seems impossible, but the next day, they went right back to work. Incredible.
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Great question Rob. Glad to hear that you made it through relatively unscathed. Living in New England, we were not prepared for the amount of rain and I have some friends that live in Vermont that are really struggling, Very nice image, by the way,
I think they have little bomb shelters that they tell nobody about! I wish you the best of luck in your cleanup efforts, and hopefully life returns to normal soon.
Welcome back Rob and great capture.
We are so, so, SO happy to see you back and in full gear Rob! So sorry to hear of the loss of all your trees, that’s a sad thing to see I am sure. It never ceases to amaze me at the strength of nature and it’s inhabitants. Wonderful photograph and a truly heartwarming story to go along. I love this. Welcome back, my friend, we thought of you the entire time.
Hi Rob it’s as puzzling as how they migrate thousands of miles. Maybe they DO have tiny little shelters. Hopefully we’ll learn to duplicate them before we screw up the weather to the point Mother Nature says “ENOUGH” and swats us like a fly. Should have signed in with twitter. GBU, I’m sure means nothing to you, I know.. Just one of the many blogs I write for. And certainly the least lovely. It’s just what first sprang to mind. Love the photo, and will appropriately tweet, Link, FB, etc. Dru Nichols
Inquiring minds just had to know. Not me, a friend on my “other” facebook page. http://www.birding.com/hurricanes.asp
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Here’s where….http://www.birding.com/hurricanes.asp