For as long as I can remember my mother always had a hummingbird feeder right outside the kitchen windows. The birds would constantly be fighting over the feeder and without fail there was always one bully trying to chase away all the other birds. It was a futile effort because every time it left to chase away the other birds new ones would sneak in to feed. They were always really fun to watch!
They also made yardwork near the feeder a bit of a challenge. These tiny birds would actually try to chase humans away buzzing by your head. The breed definitely has little dog syndrome, like when a toy poodle thinks it can take on a pit pull despite it's tiny size. These birds seemed to have the same attitude!
While I was in Belize I picked up several bird coins that all originally came from silver proof set from 1974 made by the Franklin Mint. The one I want to share today is of a ten cents silver coin bearing a hummingbird!
About the coin:
Country: Belize
Mint: The Franklin Mint, Pennsylvania, USA
Year: 1974
Mintage: 31,000
Strike type: Silver Proof
Denomination: Ten Cents
Composition: silver 92.5%
Weight: 2.79 grams
Diameter: 16.95 mm
Edge: Reeded
Reverse: Long-tailed hermit
Obverse: Belize coat of arms with lettering BELIZE SUB UMBRA FLOREO 1974 FM ( I flourish in the shade! is the translation from Numista)
I really love this silver proof series of coins they produced in 1974. They all display birds from Belize and have beautiful artistry. This coin is enclosed in a protective plastic capsule which is pretty scratched up, although the coin is pristine inside. I once tried to put it in a new capsule but the old one is sealed so well I couldn't get it open! So for the time being it still sits inside the scratched up capsule.
The long-tailed hermit is a hummingbird that inhabits the rainforests of Brazil all the the way to Venezuela. What I found interesting is that it does not seem to be found in Belize. As it turns out after the coin was minted in 1974 they split the species into subgroups. The ones found in Belize are now called the long-billed hermit. They are abundant in the rainforest underbrush attracted to bright colored objects such as flowers but will also check out bright colored clothing. Their diet mainly consists of flower nectar but also eat small spiders and insects as a source of protein. The female builds nests suspended under banana leaves built out of spiderwebs. I find the long arched bill really interesting as no hummingbirds around North America seem to have it.
fineartamerica.com
ebird.org
It's an interesting hummingbird, although it's not as colorful as some other species that curved bill is very distinctive. I'm sure it gives the species some advantage over the straight bill or it probably wouldn't have evolved. What that is I'm not sure! Still a very cool little bird!
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my post. I hope you enjoyed it. I really appreciate everyone's support. If you have any suggestions, comments, or questions please feel free to leave them below.
Keep on stacking!
And my disclaimer:
Gold and silver stacking can be a fun hobby but isn't for everyone. You can lose money. I'm not a financial advisor and this isn't financial advice, please always do your own research before spending your hard earned money.
All pictures are mine unless otherwise noted
References:
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces34524.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-tailed_hermit
https://ebird.org/species/lother1
https://birdwatchinghq.com/hummingbirds-of-Belize/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-billed_hermit
Witnesses:
@nuthman has been here on Hive for years now and highly dedicated to the success of Hive and is a real cool guy. He now has become a first time witness setting up a server for the blockchain. He cares about the keeping things current and even the little things like ensuring that the price feed is working properly. If you haven't checked your witnesses in awhile you may want to check if they are still active or if have unused witness votes please consider giving him a vote, thanks!
Re-blog lottery
Now for the winner of the re-blog lottery! Today we had 26 people re-blog my post, thank you so much! You guy are the best! The people who re-blogged were:
@bitandi
@blitzzzz
@bulliontools
@caleb-marvel
@dfreitesp
@ericburgoyne
@flaxz.alive
@florakese
@hdmed
@heinkhantmaung
@henruc
@irfanmustafa
@kungfukid
@kunschj
@ladymisa
@matthew1
@maurojd
@monsterbuster
@olaf.gui
@pepetoken
@silversaver888
@stekene
@trautenberk
@trumpman
@vrezion
@vrezyy
Voluntary daily reminder list for those who request to be on it: @ganjafarmer
If you want to be added to the list as well just feel free to ask!
Thank you everyone! I have been working to improve my engagement and all of you have really helped out! If you have any recommendations or suggestions please feel free to let me know. I'm always looking to improve my posts.
Good luck to everyone!
And the Wheel of Names results:
Congratulations @trumpman !
You will receive 3 HSBI!
Now for today's re-blog lottery! You just need to re-blog my post you will be placed on the Wheel of Names for a spin to possibly win 3 HSBI units! Just one prize for the lucky winner. An upvote is not required but is always greatly appreciated. Bots aren't allowed to win the prize. Contest ends at 14:00 (2 PM) California Pacific time tomorrow. If I somehow missed your re-blog please let me know and I'll add you to the next draw.
What are HSBI units? They are units that you can purchase to sponsor someone and you in turn receive a unit as well. This way we both benefit! They give you occasional upvotes on your posts for a lifetime, and the more you accumulate the more often you receive upvotes and the bigger they can be. You can read some more here:
If you have more questions feel free to ask.
