TRUE THINGS: If you're going to hear an amazing, gasp-worthy fact, and it is going to be about a bird, there's probably a 1 in 3 chance the bird in question will be a hummingbird (true, ostriches also fill our collective imaginations, and the flamingo, too, but if the words "beats per minute" are in the question, "hummingbird" will be in the answer). Given the small creatures aptitude for flitting and darting it can seem a monumental task to come across them. But, as anyone who has ever put out a red plastic feeder, or grown certain colorful shrubs knows, that isn't the case; the world's flittiest, wing-flappiest superstar is actually quite easy to spot. Which is some of the thinking behind Hummingbird Days at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE: Bird walks and talks are part of the avian outing -- think "Photographing Hummingbirds" and such -- as are discussion on what plants best attract the wee wonders. Other birds will also receive the love, too; bird calls and various garden denizens, be they hummingbirds or not, will be discussed. Admission is five bucks, but if you're 17 and under, you'll get in for free. The dates are Saturday, March 3 and Sunday, March 4. Oh, do you think you'll see the hummers getting territorial? That has to be one of the most fascinating feeder-adjacent sights of all.
