In May, the yard’s hummingbird hopes suffered a setback when a family of house finches plucked the honeysuckle’s early blooms.
But the honeysuckle recovered quickly, and by the end of June there were enough blooms to attract renewed attention.
The salvia also bloomed steadily through June and July, adding a second source of nectar.
Now I see hummingbirds daily. They zip through the yard at reasonably predictable intervals, one or two an hour, and I occasionally find them resting high in the wax myrtle.
If I stretch the camera’s zoom to its limit, I am able to catch several frames before they become suspicious of my fixed attention and clicking shutter.
When two individuals cross paths, fierce and noisy bouts of aerial combat break out, with both birds squeaking rapidly as they dive and swerve. They are too fast for my camera during these skirmishes.
For that matter, they are too usually fast while feeding. These photos represent several hours of stalking. (I suspect most of my photos feature a single individual who has established a repetitive feeding pattern.)
Whether one bird or many, I hope the visits continue. I’m looking forward to a few more months of summer — a few more months of hot, humid afternoons in which to hone my hummingbird reflexes.
I enjoyed your terrific pictures. We don’t seem to be seeing as many hummingbirds or butterflies this year. Maybe the end of the summer will bring a few more, or perhaps we will be in the yard when they grab a sip of nectar from our flowers.
We finally started seeing butterflies a few weeks ago, but only a few. Like you, I’m hoping their numbers pick up as the summer goes on.
What wonderful pictures, Rae! Hummingbirds are just the most fascinating birds in so many ways. I put a little nectar feeder on one of my windows this year, and our resident hummingbird has been using it. So excellent chance for me (and my kitties, who it doesn’t seem to mind) to watch it closely. I apologize for my absence … I’m trying to catch up on others’ posts. Hope you are well. Diane
I’m delighted that you found time to stop by my blog, and I’m looking forward to your next book!
As usual your pictures are delightful!
Thank you!