Sunday, April 26, 2009

Watching the hummingbirds


My apartment has a nice balcony and I knew there were plenty of hummingbirds around; I even heard them in the winter. That inspired me to buy a hummingbird feeder and hang it under the overhang on the balcony. The first week was discouraging, as I waited and waited for one of them to show up. It was really exciting the first time I spotted a bird perched out there, sucking up the nectar and now, although it has become commonplace, it's still a treat to watch them.

Taking photos is another story, but I finally got a few that aren't terrible. The most difficult trick is catching one leaving the perch because, without any notice, they just bullet off into the sky. I had given up and was just getting ready to put the tripod away, when I shot a last series and lucked into the shot above.

I still don't know if I'm being visited by a number of different hummers that share a remarkable resemblance, or whether I've got one remarkably piggy little bird that stops by several times per hour.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would bet it's only one bird. They are quite loyal to their feeders, and will try to chase off intruders.

Nice pic!

~Zooey

jefffrane said...

Certainly looks to me like the same bird, although one day I actually caught a definite flash of red that convinced me that that bird was a male. Every other time it's looked like the same female Anna's.

Zoe Ann Hinds said...

Hummingbirds must eat very often and they will do so between 6-8 times per hour. Each time only last about 30 seconds in length.

Hummingbirds have excellent memories and will return to the same location and food source over and over year after year.

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