c. creativity: life in macro: Hummingbird Heaven

I discovered, to my delight, that Teddy & Roo's yard turns into a hummingbird paradise in the summer, with the jewel-like birds zipping to and fro, feeding at the flowers and fighting over the three feeders. Anna's hummingbirds were the dominate species, but rufous hummingbirds made appearances, too.

The fiery blooms of the crocosmia were a hummingbird favorite.

A rufous hummingbird feeds on one of several hummingbird-friendly flower species in Teddy & Roo's yard.

A male Anna's hummingbird perches on one of the feeders.

A hummingbird steadies itself as it lands on the feeder perch.

Full of sugar water, a juvenile Anna's hummingbird takes flight.

I've broken down this post in to two parts for the purpose of imposing a sort of order on collection of photos: pictures of the birds at rest and pictures of the birds on the wing. You can click on the photographs to enlarge them. Enjoy!

Perching Hummingbirds

Settling on a crocosmia stem.

An unusually ruffled-looking youngster gleaming beside a crocosmia's red flowers.

An arching stem of ivy makes a perfect perch.

Hummingbirds have tiny little feet. Here, one grasps the spent receptacle of a crocosmia flower.

This resting hummer's head is dusted with pollen. In this way, it pollinates the flowers it feeds on.

A stretching hummingbird makes a fearsome-looking creature!

A flashy male Anna's hummingbird settles on a conspicuous perch.

The iridescent head of the male Anna's is a showstopper!

A male Anna's hummingbird sticking out his tongue.

This juvenile male's iridescent head feathers are just starting to grow in.

Battle over the feeders and flowers was fierce, so when the hummingbirds wished to rest, they usually did so out of sight, like this Anna's hiding in the shelter of a shrub.

This juvenile Anna's hummingbird rather anxiously tracks the noisy flight...

...of hummingbirds...

...chasing each other away from the contested feeders.

Sometimes a hummingbird can feed while clinging to stem.

A grip on a plant can help hold you steady while hovering!

Flying Hummingbirds

A hummingbird maneuvering through the flowers.

A hovering rufous hummingbird.

An Anna's hummingbird feeding on the wing.

The bold black-and-white undersides of an Anna hummingbird's tail feathers are in full display as it eases down to perch on a stem.

Pollen is deposited on the top of this hummingbird's head as it feeds. It will pollinate these crocosmia as it moves from flower to flower.

An inquisitive hummingbird hovers over the photographer.

Hummingbirds can fly in every direction as well as hang still in midair!

This hummingbird is flying in reverse, backing away from the flowers where it has been feeding. No other bird species can fly backwards!

Hummingbirds flap their wings in a figure-eight motion--you catch a glimpse in this photo of how the wing flexes and turns rather than beating up and down.