Ruby, the Hummingbird that knew the words
Once, not so very long ago, two very, very small eggs laid inside of a nest made of down from thistles, some cotton pulled from a soft old t-shirt, and spider silk. It sat very securely in the branches of a small birch tree near the rose garden at the White House in Washington D.C.
It had taken the mama hummingbird weeks to fly from her winter home in Central America, through Mexico and then across much of the United States until she found the spot she wanted to nest.
It had taken the mama hummingbird weeks to fly from her winter home in Central America, through Mexico and then across much of the United States until she found the spot she wanted to nest.
After gathering her nest making supplies she carefully stitched her nest, out of the wind and rain so her children would be warm and safe. Two weeks after she laid her eggs, they started cracking open and two very small chicks, with just a little gray down to help keep them warm, appeared. Since their eyes weren't open yet, they clumsily searched for their mama. Both of them together weighted less than a dime! The mama was very busy finding nectar and small bugs to catch so she could feed her babies. They were very hungry and grew very fast.
After a few weeks they were ready to try to fly. Mama watched very closely because there wasn't enough room for the three of them in the nest anymore and she was getting very tired from almost constantly feeding them. As soon as they could fly she would show them where the best spots to get nectar and bugs were and they would be on their own.
Ruby looked over the side of the nest and thought to herself that the breeze was just right, just warm enough and not too strong. Ruby flapped her wings, slowly at first and then faster until she could hear them hum! She looked into the breeze and realized that her feet weren't in the nest anymore, she was flying! Mama made a chirp to get Ruby's attention and darted off towards some bright red cardinal flowers where their long tongues could get to the nectar the bees had a hard time reaching. Stuck in the sticky nectar she could also find small insects to give her strength. It took a lot of nectar and bugs to fly as fast as she did so everyday she would travel farther looking for red and orange flowers, the kind that tasted best to her.
It was during one of these trips that she heard wonderful music. She paused at a window sill where the window was open and looked in. There were many people and they were making sounds she had never heard before. Notes coming from large shiny things they blew into , from strings that they pulled sticks across, and then the lady sang! It was a long high note, just right for a hummingbird's ears.
Ruby sat and listened until her stomach reminded her why she was flying past the window.
She liked this new garden with its' abundance of flowers and the availability of other gardens nearby. When she went to some of the other windows around, she could hear music also, but none drew her to sit on the sill like the first one.
As spring became summer she went each afternoon to listen. She would sit on the window sill and watch the man in front move a small branch and point to who was going to make notes next. She would listen to the other birds around her and listen to the beautiful songs they sang and then listen to the chirps the other hummingbirds made. “Why do we just chirp instead of singing?” she wondered.
Ruby started imitating the singer, quietly to herself, trying to make the same sounds at the same time. She loved the way it seemed that the music was talking to her, and just her, since none of the other hummingbirds seemed to notice.
Ruby started imitating the singer, quietly to herself, trying to make the same sounds at the same time. She loved the way it seemed that the music was talking to her, and just her, since none of the other hummingbirds seemed to notice.
As the days grew shorter, and the nights cooler, she could hear in the darkness the music floating on the wind across the garden. She didn't want to fly in the darkness, it didn't seem safe to her so she sat on her branch and fell asleep to the quiet voices. She knew she wouldn't have much more time to listen, other hummingbirds were already starting the long migration back to Panama, having fed well while the flowers were in bloom..
One moonlight night Ruby knew she would have to leave the next sunrise, to beat the winter cold that would freeze the flowers under snow and take away her food. She looked over at the open window with the music coming through it and decided that it was her last chance and the moon was bright enough for her to fly. She went straight to the window sill she had spent so much time this summer and felt the warmth coming out of the building. She looked inside and saw lots of people sitting like she was, watching the man with the branch, the people making the notes and the lady up front in the bright red dress, like her flowers.
As the music became quieter, and the lady became louder, the man with the stick waved it very slowly. That's when she understood that he was doing it for her, he was waiting for her to sing!
Ruby zoomed down to sit on the branch just as the man paused it in the air and the music held a long note. She caught her breath and was ready. When the lady started singing again, so did Ruby. She did her best to match the notes as she had been practicing, but now she didn't keep it to herself, she was as loud as she could be. The man with the branch looked at her and smiled. The music became softer and the lady that was singing was suddenly quiet. Ruby was singing to the world and the world was listening! She finished her song all by herself, the rest of the room was silent. When she finished she was rewarded by many people standing and clapping!
Ruby quickly flew to her window and out to the nearest branch, knowing that when she came back in the spring she wouldn't show her chicks just the nectar and bugs but also the music.
Notes to readers
I've tried to make this a fun learning experience. Hopefully the young ones you are reading to will have questions. I've included some links below to illustrate some of the items in the story.