Revisioning

My hummingbird obsession is not news. However, it has recently taken a little bit of an unexpected turn. One which has led me to revise something which I thought was certain.

Outside our office, there are a number of trees where those beautiful little birds nest. I will always pause on my way in and out of the gate, to peer into the leaves and see what is happening in those nests. A couple of weeks ago, I was told that there were eggs in the nest and that the mother was keeping them warm. They would hatch in a few days, I was informed assuredly. Indeed, after a few days I saw eggshell on the ground and was told that I could very gently peep inside the leaves. Two wide open beaks stared back at me. Indeed, beaks can stare!

Over the following days, I would very gently peek in through the gaps in the leaves, making sure that my human eyes did not distress the rapidly growing birds. In no time, I learned that the little birds were almost ready to fly. They would fly on the Monday, in fact.

When I arrived at work the following Monday, I could see that the nest was indeed empty. The little birds had flown.

But the tale has taken an unexpected twist. In those few days while watching from a safe distance, I learned something new. I had been visiting friends, and they had bright flowers on their porch. The little hummingbirds, perched and manoeuvred to draw in the nectar of the brightly coloured flowers. I was enthralled by those “hummingbirds”. My friend showed me photographs she had taken of the same little birds, which she called “sunbirds”. I knew they were hummingbirds. She was equally certain they were sunbirds. Of course, I was right. So was she! Stalemate!

At such times, and in such times we are drawn to Professor Google. And my goodness, was I in for a surprise!

I have been completely wrong! In Ecuador, these little hovering birds were indeed hummingbirds and they have become iconic across the country. In Africa, however, despite the fact that they look remarkably similar, they are not hummingbirds. These little beauties are indeed sunbirds.

In appearance, they are incredibly alike.The males have metallic blue plumage which shimmers in the sun.

In Ecuador and in Africa. They both hover.

This little soul is hovering with all his might. So hard, that you can hardly see the blur that represents his little wings.

It seems that I am not the only one to become so confused between the hummingbird and the sunbird. From what I understand, the key difference (apart from the biological family differences) is that the hummingbird always hovers while it feeds. It can hover for a seeming eternity while drawing nectar fro the inside of a bloom. However the little sunbird, while it can and does hover, usually has to perch to gather its food.

However, that is what I truly learned from this. I was reminded that no matter how sure I think I am about something, I must be open to correction or rethinking. This is not about the sunbird. This is about how I view the world and my life. While I had been convinced that the birds I saw were hummingbirds, and my friend was equally certain that they were sunbirds, we both needed to be open.In my case, I also need to be corrected, because I was wrong!

The world around me is not as set and uncertain as I necessarily think. The universe is again shaking and shifting the ground underneath my feet. I need to revise and reset my vision of what I thought was my world. And that does not only apply to me. It is for each and every one of us. We just do not know what is certain and true.