Show Off!
Did you know that hummingbird feathers are pigmented only with shades of black, brown and reddish brown? The colors we see are reflected light off their feathers--sort of like a prism or oil film on water. I was lucky that this little guy was turning his face to the sun so he could show off his bright purple headdress! I was able to get reasonably close to him, even with the P.A.D. in tow. He was making quite a racket with his singing. You can hear an example of his music here. (the listen tab doesn't always seem to work, but it has worked for me in the past.)
It's supposed to rain all week, so I took the advice of a Flickr contact to go out and do a little shooting. I saw several hummingbirds chasing each other, and a male Anna's hummingbird fly high, then swoop down, making several aerial loops. At the nadir of his dive, he'd make a noise...perhaps a hummingbird sonic boom?
This was just a small crop!
Show Off!
Did you know that hummingbird feathers are pigmented only with shades of black, brown and reddish brown? The colors we see are reflected light off their feathers--sort of like a prism or oil film on water. I was lucky that this little guy was turning his face to the sun so he could show off his bright purple headdress! I was able to get reasonably close to him, even with the P.A.D. in tow. He was making quite a racket with his singing. You can hear an example of his music here. (the listen tab doesn't always seem to work, but it has worked for me in the past.)
It's supposed to rain all week, so I took the advice of a Flickr contact to go out and do a little shooting. I saw several hummingbirds chasing each other, and a male Anna's hummingbird fly high, then swoop down, making several aerial loops. At the nadir of his dive, he'd make a noise...perhaps a hummingbird sonic boom?
This was just a small crop!