Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kelley-Heckart/e/B002BMOQ3C
About Me
- Kelley Heckart
- Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Showing posts with label Hummingbirds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hummingbirds. Show all posts
Monday, August 28, 2017
Monday Musings: Arizona backyard wildlife
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Monday, August 08, 2016
Monday Musings: There is life in the desert
Most people think the desert is barren and devoid of any life.
I thought that was true until I moved to the desert. The abundance of plant and
animal life here astounded me. All you have to do is open your eyes and ears to
experience it.
Most mornings I awaken to the odd, rhythmic sound of a quail
calling to his family or the shrill calls of the very vocal grackle. I watch
humming birds buzz around my feeder, listen to mourning doves cooing. I see
rabbits, lizards, roadrunners, owls, bats, even snakes. Mocking birds often
fill the air with their “mocking” cries.
We just moved to a house that backs up to a wash and it is
full of life. Dozens of chipmunks live in burrows along the wash. They
socialize with their neighbors, the rabbits and birds. When a chipmunk senses
danger, it sends out a loud trilling noise to warn the other chipmunks.
On quiet nights, the chilling howls from coyotes ring out. When
I hear that sound, my skin prickles because it signifies they have caught
something.
We don’t have thick, luscious green pine trees here, but there
are numerous plants and trees that flourish without the need for much water. My
favorite is the palo verde tree. In the spring, its green branches sprout
yellow flowers. Its pods also provide food for the various animals.
Many types of cactus grow here in the desert. In spring,
beautiful flowers bloom among the sharp, menacing spines. Cactus wrens build
their nests in the cactus, probably for protection from predators.
Life is everywhere here. On the stark surface, beneath a
sweltering sun, it can be deceiving. But in the early hours of the morning and
just before sunset, the animals come out to gather food, rabbits and chipmunks scurry
from bush to bush, and the birds fill the air with their excited chatter. It’s
so serene and beautiful here in the desert I can’t imagine living anywhere
else.
Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales
steeped in myth & magic.
Beauty may be the real beast.
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Monday, April 04, 2016
Monday Musings: An Easter surprise, my hummingbird visitors
I woke up on Easter morning and went about my usual chores, which included watering the Palo Verde tree growing on our back slope. We just moved and I've been a little bummed about leaving my old house with the large, beautiful Palo Verde tree and a multitude of Arizona wildlife, my desert iguanas and all the birds we had visit that tree. This Easter morning was pretty special and a bit magical because as I was watering the tree with the hose, a hummingbird appeared. She buzzed around the water's spray and then she landed. I let the hose rest between the chain links in the fence and hurried to grab my camera. When I returned, she was taking a bath in the water puddles. Then another hummingbird appeared to do the same. I wasn't fast enough to catch both of them, but I managed to get a couple of shots of one. Having the hummingbirds visit me made my day. Even though I will miss my lizards at the old house, it looks like I will have some new backyard wildlife here at the new place.
Easter is all about rebirth and new beginnings. The hummingbirds symbolized this for me.
 |
This hummingbird appeared on Easter morning. 
Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth &
magic.
|
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Monday, June 09, 2014
Monday Musings: Hummingbirds, warrior birds
Hummingbirds are found only in the western hemisphere, so the only myths about these tiny birds are Native American or South and Central American in origin. Growing up in Southern California and now living in Arizona, I am quite familiar with these fascinating birds.
They are fun to watch, flying and spinning, their tiny wings moving so fast they look like blurs. Hummingbirds don’t sit still for long, and I had a hard time getting some pictures of them, but I was able to capture a female resting on a tree branch. Another hummer hovered by her side. I think that one was a male and they may have been mating. If they aren’t fighting, then they are probably mating. Usually only males fight each other for territory and for females. Hummingbirds are very territorial and fighting can be so vicious, it can lead to death for one the birds.
I’ve always wondered about how fierce hummingbirds can be and then I found an Aztec myth that may explain hummingbirds and their warrior nature.
A warrior named Huitzil led the Aztecs to a new homeland and helped them defend it from enemy warriors. The warrior’s full name was Huitzilopochtli, which means, “hummingbird from the left.” The “left” in Aztec mythology is the deep south, the spirit world. Huitzil was killed at a key moment in the battle. His body disappeared. In the exact place where his body disappeared, a green-backed hummingbird rose up, inspiring his warriors to victory. Huitzil became a god. The Aztecs believed that every warrior killed in battle rose to the sky and orbited the sun for four years. After this, they became hummingbirds. The transformed heroes fed on flowers in the garden of paradise and engaged in mock battles.
To honor these tiny, magnificent birds, Aztecs decorated their ceremonial cloaks with hummingbird feathers. Chieftains wore hummingbird earrings. Aztec priests carried staves with hummingbird feathers to suck evil out of people.
So, the next time you see hummingbirds battling it out in your backyard, remember that they might be the spirits of those ancient Aztec warriors.
More Hummingbird myths: http://hummingbirdworld.com/h/native_american.htm
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
They are fun to watch, flying and spinning, their tiny wings moving so fast they look like blurs. Hummingbirds don’t sit still for long, and I had a hard time getting some pictures of them, but I was able to capture a female resting on a tree branch. Another hummer hovered by her side. I think that one was a male and they may have been mating. If they aren’t fighting, then they are probably mating. Usually only males fight each other for territory and for females. Hummingbirds are very territorial and fighting can be so vicious, it can lead to death for one the birds.
I’ve always wondered about how fierce hummingbirds can be and then I found an Aztec myth that may explain hummingbirds and their warrior nature.
A warrior named Huitzil led the Aztecs to a new homeland and helped them defend it from enemy warriors. The warrior’s full name was Huitzilopochtli, which means, “hummingbird from the left.” The “left” in Aztec mythology is the deep south, the spirit world. Huitzil was killed at a key moment in the battle. His body disappeared. In the exact place where his body disappeared, a green-backed hummingbird rose up, inspiring his warriors to victory. Huitzil became a god. The Aztecs believed that every warrior killed in battle rose to the sky and orbited the sun for four years. After this, they became hummingbirds. The transformed heroes fed on flowers in the garden of paradise and engaged in mock battles.
To honor these tiny, magnificent birds, Aztecs decorated their ceremonial cloaks with hummingbird feathers. Chieftains wore hummingbird earrings. Aztec priests carried staves with hummingbird feathers to suck evil out of people.
So, the next time you see hummingbirds battling it out in your backyard, remember that they might be the spirits of those ancient Aztec warriors.
More Hummingbird myths: http://hummingbirdworld.com/h/native_american.htm
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
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