Hummingbird Scratching An Itch

 

How Adorable Is This

Found this old shot of a hummingbird doing its level best to blend in with the tree buds around it.  Even if it's probably just an accidentally assumed pose, the fact the buds are nearly the same size as the little guy brought a smile to my face.  There are no hummingbirds in Korea, so coming across this image from the past was a genuine pleasure.

Waiting

Or "Patience"

Or maybe "Like Attracts Like"

First Hummingbird!

Since spring.

A Nice One, Nevertheless

Success, Sort Of

BUT AT LEAST IT'S PRETTY

Finally caught a hummer in mid-flight in a relatively clear shot, except that dang branch happened to intrude itself, making the birdie look sort of like it's attached to the branch by the head^^  So this is actually another one of those "Oddly-Timed" images.

Related Posts:  Patience Pays Off!,  Another 'Just Looks Odd',  Another Well-Timed Shot

Airliner And Hummingbird

Patience Pays Off !

IN AN UNEXPECTED BUT DELIGHTFUL WAY

For a long time now I've been trying to catch a hummingbird in the midst of free flight, close-up.  Which is pretty much impossible -- the critters move so fast and so suddenly that a lumbering human with a cheap hand-held camera could never hope to move quickly enough.  The most one can do is to find a bird in repose, aim the camera and wait -- zoomed in halfway so that the partial shrinkage of the visual field, which decreases the chances of snapping an image before the subject flies off-frame, is balanced out by the increase in the size of the image if one somehow manages to click the shutter in time.  A compromise of compromises, but that is all I could come up with.

And that is what I was doing today with this hummingbird, when it suddenly spread its wings, leapt off the branch, then quickly returned to its perch, only to take off again immediately, this time not to return.  I pressed the shutter convulsively, certain it was useless -- and sure enough, when I checked the image there was no flying bird silhouetted against the sky.  Foiled again..!

But then, I noticed something, and when I zoomed in, I realized I had inadvertently caught the bird at a truly unique moment -- the very instant it was launching itself off the branch!

I love this image!  And I'll wager there are no other hummingbird photographs like this on the internet.  In this "shoving off" position it looks so odd and awkward, so out of kilter with the usual, dragonfly-like grace of its kind;  makes me think of a child making like a flying superhero with its arms stretched forth^^.

The Many Colors Of A Hummingbird

So far we have had unseasonably warm weather this winter.  Which means unusually frequent hummingbird sightings in January and February.

The Moon Is Very Far Away, Little Bird... But I'm Coming With You

BTW, the phrasing of the title is borrowed from the ending of the science fiction short story by Keith Laumer, "The Last Command".  It's about an old war veteran who feels out of place in the new society, and an old self-aware AI war machine that he used to be in charge of.  Both were relegated to the past, being no longer needed;  then suddenly they are revived and reunited, and ultimately they choose to go to certain death together -- "It's a long way Lenny... but I'm coming with you..."

I know, it's sentimental...

A Thumb-Sized Bird In A Big Tree

It's significantly smaller than one of the tree's leaves -- I'm actually a little amazed I even spotted it.  But I suppose after all this time spent watching for them, my eyes have become hummingbird-sensitive^.

Here's a reverse-zoom out of the frame, to give an idea of the scale.

Hummingbird On A Foggy Morning

My Hummingbird Obsession

I'm certain it's really a subset of my other, more general obsession -- odd things seen in the sky, including things that seem to defy gravity.

As I have mentioned before, birds may be largely free from the constraints of gravity, but hummingbirds are different from other birds in that they are completely free.  They can fly forwards and backwards, they can stop and hover in midair, and they can even fly upside down.  Straddling the border between bird and insect, hummingbirds enjoy a three-dimensional freedom of movement in space -- rather like animated figures in a CGI universe -- that's denied other, larger birds, who cannot stop in midair but must always soar, glide or flap forward.

Today I was taking my noonday walk as usual, and as I was walking past the courthouse parking lot next door, I thought back to the occasion over a year ago when I wished for a hummingbird to appear and voila! one did -- and voila! one did.

From the fidgety, restless manner of this bird I knew he/she was going to take off again soon, so I waited with my camera at the ready -- and within a couple of minutes I was rewarded with what I believe must be one of the most unusual images available on the internet of a hummingbird -- behold, the 'wingless' hummingbird in flight.

LOOKS LIKE A ROCKET WITH A BEAK

First Hummingbird Photos Of 2014

REALLY LOOKS LIKE AN INSECT HERE, NO?

December Hummingbird

Related post:  Hummingbird posts

Another Hummingbird Today

At least I think it's a different one from the bird I photographed a few weeks ago.  But again, on a cold, overcast day.

Last Week's Hummingbird Photos

Surprised and delighted to see this little guy in late October.  And on a chilly, overcast day, too (maybe that's why he/she stayed put on that perch instead of darting off just as I was ready to click, as these critters are apt to do).

The Latest Hummingbird Photo

Actually it's 12 days old, but it's prettier and in better focus than the more recent one.

Yesterday's Hummingbird Photos

Find The Birdie

A hummingbird photo I came across in an old folder.  This one probably was an easier shot than the instant-of-taking-off ones.