Merlin the hummingbird

What is the highlight of my morning?

Well, many things but one of my favorites is...

Catching a glimpse of little Merlin. (my backyard pet hummingbird) Yep, every morning I look out the sliding glass door in my bathroom and watch in awe while he sips nectar flawlessly.

I have always shared my love of hummingbirds with my Grandma who passed away last August. Its no coincidence that "Merlin" started visiting me shortly after. Ever since I have been planting Hummingbird friendly flowers, in hopes of attracting more HB's; so far no such luck.

Hummingbird facts:

• The hummingbird is the smallest bird and also the smallest of all animals that have a backbone
• They have no sense of smell
• Because they can rotate their wings in a circle, they are the only bird that can fly forwards, backwards, up, down ,sideways and hover in mid air
• During migration, some hummingbirds make a non-stop 500 mile flight over the Gulf of Mexico
• They are the second largest family of birds with 343 species
• Their heart rate can reach up to 1,260 beats per minute