Leap of Faith

     Unaware of his calling just days away, he sat contently looking over the sea which had no end in sight. Gentle clapping waves brought in warm salty air from a location in his past, while memories were vague of the distance and fatigue he once encountered. The previous weeks of heavy feeding had built up a thick layer of fat under his healthy feathers which were primed for anything, but he didn't know what lie ahead. He had little desire to do anything but feed and enjoy the sunsets, until one moment. A quick change in the wind from the South triggered some energy that started to build up in his lazy muscles, and he developed a deep desire like all the other hummingbirds to head to a location they vaguely remembered, for one sole purpose, breeding. The desire is powerful enough to draw him over a span of water well over 500 miles. Fear had no place in him as he stretched his mighty little wings and breathed in a large dose of courage, and lunged into the sky with a great leap of faith. Like thousands of others have traveled before, he started North across a sea that appeared to have no end, not knowing how long it would take or whether he'd make it.
    This describes the arduous journey that most Ruby-throated hummingbirds make every Spring across the Gulf of Mexico. While many people on the Southern Coast of the United States are anxiously waiting for their return, many hummingbirds are currently in the skies, miles between the Mexico/U.S. shorelines, with no place to rest.
    Here is my "Ziggy". He's made the journey for about 3+ years. N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. May 2017

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