Peace for busy Colombians　from hummingbirds蜂鳥帶來的寧靜

鄧梅

住在城市里可能會有壓力，但是，哥倫比亞波哥大的一些人利用蜂鳥來幫助緩解壓力，以從繁忙的生活中得到一次平靜的休息。

Living in a city can be stressful. But some people in Bogota， Colombia have found a place to help ease stress and get a peaceful break from busy life. The place is a protected park， or sanctuary， for hummingbirds.

The park sits at the top of Monserrate Hill， east of the city， in a place known as the Paramuno corridor（狹長地帶）. The area contains a forest that has turned into a peaceful place for both people and birds.

As the hummingbirds fly from flower to flower， some people study the animals through binoculars（望遠鏡）. Others capture pictures with cameras or phones.

“Sometimes it doesnt seem real because we are close to a city of eight million inhabitants who generate noise every day，” said Camilo Cantor， a caretaker in the park. His job is to mix water and sugar that is put in bird feeders along a 300 meter path.

Cantor explained， “You can hear noise from the city， the generation of pollution and aggressiveness.” But he adds， the park is a special place， like an oasis（綠洲）. It is a place where people can go to release stress and forget about the pressures of city life.

“Visitors to the park can see between 25 to 35 different species of birds，” Cantor said.

Ten years ago， the hill was completely deforested， meaning there were not any trees left on it. But workers began to replant local trees and flowers to bring the forest back to life. Presently， there are 115 species of birds， including 18 kinds of hummingbirds and some migratory species.

Hummingbirds are only found on the American continent and Colombia is home to many different kinds.

Do you know anything about hummingbirds？ Please look for more information about them and share it with your classmates.