If Del Mar expects something better for our community than a 6-foot chain link fence blocking the bluffs, it needs to get its act together. The NCTD Board met May 20, 2021 to consider awarding a contract for $380,000+ for a study to gather more information about potential alternatives to NCTD’s proposed 6-foot chain link fence along both sides of the rail right of way along the Del Mar bluffs. Although the NCTD staff report indicated that the proposed study was in response to a request from Del Mar and the Coastal Commission for more information, Del Mar Mayor Terry Gaasterland (who serves as Del Mar’s alternate to the NCTD Board), abstained on the final vote, which approved the study on a 6-2-1 vote.

Hummingbirds on feeder. Photo Virginia Lawrence

With wings that flap from 20 to 200 times a second, hummingbirds are fast flyers, able to dart up, down, sideways, upside down and even backwards—the only bird to do so.

Plus they know how to hover, maintaining their position in midair. This is key. Ninety percent of the energy required to fuel their flights comes from flowering plants (and nectar from feeders). These nectivores that weigh in at less than a nickel (5 grams) round out their diet with protein rich insects. During the day they are busy snacking every 15 minutes. With all that eating, adjusting for size, a hummingbird eats 77 times more a day than an average human. When night comes they switch to a form of hibernation, slowing their heart and breathing rates and lowering their body temperatures.