There is quite a size difference between Ruby Throat Hummingbirds and full-grown Ospreys.
Here we have Ms. Gertie Greenbean of Wayne, PA (my northern home):
She’s maybe 2 1/2 inches from stem to stern, unless she’s sticking her tongue out. In which case, you can add at least another inch. Perhaps more!
She needs that long tongue to reach the nectar we’ve provided in the feeder on Jerri’s balcony. And the feeder is positioned so that Jer can watch her from indoors, sitting on the couch.
Ospreys, on the other hand, are BIG.
I’m guessing the wingspan on this adult female Osprey to be at least 4 and a half feet. And some are even larger! In fact, this is my favorite Osprey of all time. I call her Big Mama because I’ve followed her for at least five or six years, as she returns to the same nest over and over. She’s changed mates a couple of times. And her brood has varied from 1 (this year) up to four.
By the time We get back down to Florida this year it’ll be mid-September. So I’m pretty sure Big Mama and all the rest of the Ospreys will have left for the Caribbean or South America.
The Hummingbirds are building up and preparing for their big migration too. Down to Mexico most likely, although some will be traveling as far south as Costa Rica.
Jim McDade, Photographer 