Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Hummingbirds ~ Two-Minute Hawaiian Pie ~ National Donald Duck Day

  

Good 51º sunny morning. 

 

Yesterday we stayed clear, only contrails in the sky, and topped at 90º....

 

 

Picture of the Day ... Oh my! Different parents?

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting about hummingbirds....

 

 

Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics. They are small birds, with most species measuring 3–5 inches in length. The smallest extant hummingbird species is the 2.0 inches bee hummingbird, which weighs less than 0.07 oz. The largest hummingbird species is the 9.1 inches giant hummingbird, weighing 0.63–0.85 oz. They are specialized for feeding on flower nectar, but all species also consume flying insects or spiders.

 

Hummingbirds split from their sister group, the swifts and treeswifts, around 42 million years ago. The common ancestor of extant hummingbirds is estimated to have lived 22 million years ago in South America. They are known as hummingbirds because of the humming sound created by their beating wings, which flap at high frequencies audible to humans. They hover in mid-air at rapid wing-flapping rates, which vary from around 12 beats per second in the largest species to around 80 per second in small hummingbirds. Of those species that have been measured during flying in wind tunnels, their top speeds exceed  34 mph. During courtship, some male species dive from 100 ft of height above a female at speeds around 51 mph.

 

Hummingbirds have the highest mass-specific metabolic rate of any homeothermic animal. To conserve energy when food is scarce and at night when not foraging, they can enter torpor, a state similar to hibernation, and slow their metabolic rate to 1/15 of its normal rate.

 

^{Female hummingbirds tend to be larger, requiring more energy, with longer beaks that allow for more effective reach into crevices of tall flowers for nectar. Thus, females are better at foraging, acquiring flower nectar, and supporting the energy demands of their larger body size. Directional selection thus favors the larger hummingbirds in terms of acquiring food.}

 

^{Hummingbirds have unusually long lifespans for organisms with such rapid metabolisms. Though many die during their first year of life, especially in the vulnerable period between hatching and fledging, those that survive may occasionally live a decade or more. Among the better-known North American species, the typical lifespan is probably 3 to 5 years. For comparison, the smaller shrews, among the smallest of all mammals, seldom live longer than 2 years. The longest recorded lifespan in the wild relates to a female broad-tailed hummingbird that was banded (ringed) as an adult at least one year old, then recaptured 11 years later, making her at least 12 years old. Other longevity records for banded hummingbirds include an estimated minimum age of 10 years 1 month for a female black-chinned hummingbird similar in size to the broad-tailed hummingbird, and at least 11 years 2 months for a much larger buff-bellied hummingbird.}

 

^{Most North American hummingbirds migrate southward in fall to spend winter in Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, or Central America. A few southern South American species also move north to the tropics during the southern winter. A few species are year-round residents of Florida, California, and the far southwestern desert regions of the US. Among these are Anna's hummingbird, a common resident from southern Arizona and inland California, and the buff-bellied hummingbird, a winter resident from Florida across the Gulf Coast to South Texas. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are common along the Atlantic flyway, and migrate in summer from as far north as Atlantic Canada, returning to Mexico, South America, southern Texas, and Florida to winter. During winter in southern Louisiana, black-chinned, buff-bellied, calliope, Allen's, Anna's, ruby-throated, rufous, broad-tailed, and broad-billed hummingbirds are present.}

 

^{If you want to read more, go here:}

^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird}

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

No-bake, Two-Minute Hawaiian Pie is a tropical fruit pie that really does just take 2 minutes to put together. This recipe is everything you've been looking for in a tropical, no-bake dessert; it's easy, creamy, fruity, and SO delicious!

 

• 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple in syrup, undrained
• 1 (6-serving-size) package instant vanilla pudding and pie filling
• 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
• 1 (9-inch) prepared shortbread pie crust
• 1 (8-ounce) can sliced pineapple, drained and halved
• 8 maraschino cherries, drained
• 2 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut

 

1. In a large bowl, combine crushed pineapple with its syrup, dry pudding mix, and sour cream; mix until well combined. Spoon into pie crust and decorate top with pineapple slices and cherries; sprinkle with coconut.
2. Cover and chill at least 2 hours, or until set, before serving.

 

****As strange as it may seem to you, do not make the vanilla pudding according to package directions. Just add the dry pudding mix right in with the other ingredients.

 

 

 

Historically this date.....

68 – Roman Emperor Nero commits suicide, after quoting Homer's Iliad, thus ending the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and starting the civil year known as the Year of the Four Emperors.

1856 – Five hundred Mormons leave Iowa City, Iowa and head west for Salt Lake City carrying all their possessions in two-wheeled handcarts.

1934 – Donald Duck makes his debut in The Wise Little Hen.

1972 – Severe rainfall causes a dam in the Black Hills of South Dakota to burst, creating a flood that kills 238 people and causes $160 million in damage.

1973 – Secretariat wins the Triple Crown.

 

And births this date include....

1910 – Robert Cummings, American actor (d. 1990)

1961 – Michael J. Fox, Canadian-born actor

 

 

 

 

 

1963 – Johnny Depp, American actor

"In 2011, Depp became a U.S. resident again, because France wanted him to become a permanent resident, which he said would require him to pay income tax in both countries".

 

1981 – Natalie Portman, Israeli-born actress

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Thursday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

National Donald Duck Day on June 9th each year commemorates the birthday of a funny animated cartoon character. Donald Duck made his first screen debut on June 9, 1934, in The Wise Little Hen.

Usually wearing a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie, Donald Duck is most famous for his semi-intelligible speech along with his mischievous and irritable personality. He has appeared in more films than any other Disney character. Donald was also declared in 2002 by TV Guide as one of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time.

His middle name is Fauntleroy. The name means “child king” and derived from Old French.

During his Donald’s second appearance in Orphan’s Benefit, he introduced to his comic friend, Mickey Mouse. Donald’s girlfriend, Daisy Duck, along with his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, were introduced shortly after that. 

In addition to animation, Donald is also known for his appearance in comic books and newspaper comic strips. One of Donald Duck’s famous sayings is “Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.”

 

NATIONAL DONALD DUCK DAY HISTORY

National Donald Duck Day first proclaimed by LA Mayor Tom Bradley in 1984 on Donald’s 50th birthday. The world’s most famous duck gave the city a silver statue of himself as a gift in memory of the big day. He also toured the country leading up to the big Disney birthday party bash.