I'm reviewing a sweet and endearing lens about hummingbirds today. But you don't have to love birds to love this lens! Believe me, you'll be glued to the entire thing, waiting to find out what happens next. It's a tale of two baby birds and their mother that goes much deeper into ideas and emotions that touch humanity - - life and death, setbacks and perseverance, nurture and love. Like me, you won't even realize how long you've been there until you reach the end, sit back, and take a breath.
"But this is not just another hummingbird story. It is a very unusual one. A series of unexpected events occurred during the three weeks the baby hummers were in the nest, where human intervention came into play."
The main story takes place over a short, six week period, from May 23 to July 5, 2010. This tiny window of time, from when the new nest is built to the moment the baby hummingbirds leave the nest, is a memorable educational experience that will make you feel like you've stepped outside of time. The teaching is so woven into the story that the facts become just as interesting as the plot. The baby hummingbird's names even come from the scientific name for this type of hummingbird species. I'm not telling though - - you'll have to read the story to learn their creative names!
Bakerwoman tells the story through stunning photographs, rare video footage and text that draws you right in to the story - - it's captivating and inspirational as well as educational.
"I took pictures and videos of the daily happenings from the time the nest was built, until the eggs turned into hatchlings, nestlings and fledglings."
The photos are truly incredible and they teach a lot! For example, a couple of them show that the nest is about 1/2 the size of a wine cork, with a diameter only slightly larger than a U.S. quarter! You can imagine how small the eggs are and how tiny the two baby hummingbirds must be to live together in the nest!
Through the photos and video, you witness the birth of the babies, their feeding (which is fascinating, to say the least), their care for one another through some pretty scary times, and the baby's flight out of the nest. And you feel as though you're right there with them.
Foreshadow and suspense keep you glued right to the end. But it's more than that. You become emotionally connected to the story and to the well-being of the baby hummingbirds. You just have to know. What happens next? Are they OK? Will they make it?
I encourage you to set aside about an hour to go through this beautiful lens. It'll take that long if you go through it in detail, but my guess is that you'll be glad you did.
I'll be curious to know - - which little hummingbird grew closest to your heart?
Visit: A Home For Hummingbirds
Hi Leanne,
ReplyDeleteI am so deeply honored and touched by your lens review of "A home for hummingbirds". It is so gratifying to know how other readers connect with the story. One cannot help becoming so involved with the lives of helpless little creatures fighting for survival. But it took human intervention and the resilience of the hummingbird family to create a happy ending.
With heartfelt thanks,
Jenny
You are so right, Leanne. This is so much more than a hummingbird story. It is about cooperation and compassion and paying attention. Just amazing, one of the best lenses I have ever read. She writes with such reverence for these little birds and I don't think they would have survived without her. I couldn't get the videos to work, but the pictures were fantastic all by themselves.
ReplyDeleteOh, it's too bad the videos didn't work for you. They're so amazing! I wonder why they didn't work . . .
ReplyDeleteOh, Leanne this was just a wonderful lens to review. What a woman and what a story!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very special lens, and I learned a lot about these enchanting little birds from it. It's still hard for me to imagine just how tiny they are and I'd love to one day see hummingbirds and their nests for myself!
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