Humming birds and Otters!

This happy chappy was playing joyfully just to the left of our pontoon. At first I thought he might be a beaver - but then he could be an otter, maybe.  I didn't know!  By all accounts they are completely different animals. Beavers are rodents, and are the ones which build dams. They are herbivorous, feeding on the leaves and bark of trees. Otters are mustelids - members of the weasel family, which also includes badgers, stoats, wolverines, mink, etc. They are carnivores, eating mainly fish, but also crustaceans and even small mammals and waterbirds, depending on their species (there are several species of otter, including the river otter, sea otter, giant otter, Asian short-clawed otter, etc.).

So my guess is that it is an otter.

 

Now the Hummingbirds!

 

 

This is the male Rufus Hummingbird.  They can be tough little guys!  He is sitting on guard watching the feeders and ready to attack other Humming birds who are coming to feed!!  I even wonder if the expression 'Red neck' (used here in Canada for a sort of rough, tough cowboy type of guy) came from this little fellow!?

 

The tiny hummingbird weighs just 3 gr.  They have a lifespan of up to 5 years and the most amazing thing is that they migrate all the way to Mexico for the winter!  They cover the 800kms (500 miles) across the Gulf of Mexico non stop in 18 hours!!! They increase their weight by 50% before they leave British Columbia in the autumn for their great journey. Then they enjoy the sun and tequila in Mexico like many Canadians!

 They can feed on the wing and their wings beat at 70 times accelerating to 200 times per second during courtship.

Hard to see the colours in these pictures but the females are the most amazing iridescent green and purple in the sun shine. So beautiful!