A Hummingbird Surprise in Tellefson Park

The buzzing creature darted past me.

I’d just sat down at the bottom of a slide in Tellefson Park when my attention was directed high into the branches of a eucalyptus tree. A lightning-fast hummingbird zipped this way and that and, moments later, was joined by a mate. I called Trinity and she was able to spot the tiny nest, nearly hidden, high up among the leaves. Soon, she and Ashton joined me on the slide and we three watched excitedly as if the birds were fireworks, oohing and aahing at every appearance and disappearance of the pair.

Soon there were more hummingbirds and one hovered so high into the sky, I gasped as it nearly disappeared. In some Native American lore, hummingbirds are a symbol of joy and the sheer magic of watching their comings and goings made it clear why.

We were, by now, hogging the play structure and inevitably some children wanted the slide. But once we pointed out the scene, both the children and their nannies joined us for the spontaneous bird watching. Totally absorbed in the spectacle, the normally prompt nannies were startled to discover they’d overstayed their park visit and hurriedly gathered themselves and the children to leave.

Before long, however, it was they who were pointing and gasping. Flowers, seeds and branches fell from above their heads amidst a squawking racket and they beckoned us to the edge of the park.  There, camouflaged to the point of near invisibility, we saw the flock—not of hummingbirds this time—but of parrots. The green birds were gorging themselves on the buds of fairy pink eucalyptus blossoms and engaged in raucous conversation. Even staring straight at them, they remained hard to see, their most distinguishing feature being the flutter of their wings as they flew between branches in search of succulent greenery.

Shortly, men from the auto shop across the street approached to see what was going on. Then came the men from the church next door. Within minutes, a crowd had gathered to watch these improbably tropical creatures lunching right here in Culver City.

How long have the birds been here? And where did they come from? I would love to know.  But what I do know is that, along with the hummingbirds, the unlikely spectacle of parrots in Tellefson Park was a reminder to take the time to sit down, slow down and let the ordinary miracles of daily life surprise and inspire me.