Shining Through

I think this is the first time I have seen a hummingbird picture quite like this one.  This little one (I believe it is a black-chinned hummingbird) was feeding on the Wisteria blossoms hanging from the trellis in our backyard.  The green you see through it's wing is actually part of the Wisteria plant.  My wife has some MAD skills!

We have seen a lot of hummingbirds this year in our neighborhood.  Every time one comes to the feeder hanging from our kitchen window, whoever is nearby will stop and just watch for a while.  They truly are amazing.  They are so small, with their hearts beating at about 1200 beats per minute.  And they flit around our yard with such acrobatic zeal that you cannot help but smile.

- TheScribe

Rufous Hummingbird

The past few days we've been having a bit of an uproar in our backyard.  This adorable little female Rufous hummingbird is the  reason.  She was perched on my window feeder this morning and is still there now, several hours later.  I was able to get several good shots of her, including this one.  

Even when she was perfectly still, I could tell her heart was beating fiercely.  Hummingbirds are some of my favorite birds and one of God's magnificent creations.  So delicate and yet it can migrate to Mexico and back each year.  Amazing!

She's successfully chased off the larger Black-chinned hummingbirds, so I guess I need to move my other feeder out of sight of her favorite feeder.  

I haven't yet seen a male, but I'm hoping to because I have never seen one nor have I photographed one.  I would love to!

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You can read more about the Rufous Hummingbird, HERE.

Snatching Insects

This year I have really enjoyed watching the hummingbirds in our backyard. We have two feeders out and several hummers come to them, as well as to the flowers in our yard. We've had mostly females and young ones, making it quite hard to identify what kind they are. I know we've had some Black-chinned hummingbirds because of their distinctive habit of pumping their tails.

The bird in this image was snatching tiny insects out of mid-air, allowing me to capture it in full light. My feeders are in the shade so they're usually backlit and if I don't use a flash, good luck getting a good image. I added a filter in Adobe Lightroom 3 to this image and although the colors are not true, I love the golden look it has given this image.

If you can identify what kind of hummingbird is in this picture, feel free to leave it in a comment.