The bird life in Paraguay comes in all colours and sizes. One of the most colourful and distinctive is the humming bird. This being something I would never see in the wild in England is always a pleasure to watch.

There are numerous species of humming bird to be seen across Paraguay. They of a whole variety of colours. Some are far larger than others but all have distinctive long narrow beaks for reaching inside flowers.

Identifying a species is not always an easy thing to do. There is one that is far more common in my garden than any other. This I think is Rufous throated Sapphire. In it’s identification I may however be wrong. There are a number of others with similar green and purple colourings.

The humming birds are great lovers of flowers. Where ever there are flowers to be found sooner of later they will be visited by humming birds. Some for a quick fuel stop, others to be exploited more thoroughly.

Currently I have a tree full of large pink flowers in the garden. These flowers attract humming birds all day long. A humming bird will work his way round the entire tree visiting a majority of the flowers. Unlike smaller flowers a tree offers branches to perch on between feeds.

The same tree is also visited by bees. In addition to their work the regular and extended visits from humming birds aid its pollination. A beak pressed deep inside a flower picks up pollen which is transferred to another.

The presence of humming birds is given away by their distinctive sound. In flight with wings beating many times a second a distinctive buzzing sound is given off. This rises and falls as wing beats increase and decrease as the bird hovers for a moment and then flits to the next flower.

This morning I sat and watched a pair of humming birds chasing each other round the tree. The sound of their wing beats picking up during brief bursts of rapid movement between the flowers. Occasionally they would seem to startle each other. Flying off in opposite directions and then returning a minute or two later.

The two were identical. Therefore two males competing of territory rather than a mating couple. This is ideal terrain of a humming bird and with the tree displaying colours that stand out brightly against the sea of green they are attracted to it from a distance.

Once male and female meet and mate a nest is built. Their nests are small and cup shaped. Generally they are built in trees. However it is not uncommon for one to be constructed under a quieter corner of a wooden roof.

Inside the small nest are placed tiny egg or eggs. These once hatched require regular feeding from the parents until the chicks are of a size to fledge and leave the nest. A nest is used just once and a new one built for each new brood of eggs.

With their high metabolic rates the cold winter nights must be a challenge for them. Especially as this is the time of year when there are the least flowers around. And so when least nectar is available. They seem on the whole to be able to survive these hard times. Before and after a cold snap there are just as many humming birds around.

It is reassuring that they are able to endure. For there are few things better than enjoying the return of the sun after a cold spell whilst watching humming birds flit their way around the flowers.