Hummingbird Ballet

This is just the tip of my hummer photo iceberg. Although we frequently caught glimpses of hummingbirds in the field, the best looks and photo opportunities were at several prized feeder locations. To watch these athletic beauties as they zipped and clicked past our ears was an unforgettable experience.

Black Jacobins

Everywhere we went the Black Jacobins were numerous. They reminded me of ballet dancers with their white tails fanned out like tutus as they hover in the air.

Black Jacobin

The explanation given which perhaps explains the Black Jacobin numbers was that they are migrants in November, not the local crowd.

There was plenty of the action around the feeders as birds vied for position…

Rufous-Breasted Hermit

How luminescent these beauties were depended a lot on the available light. But even on cloudy, rainy days, of which there were many, their grace was unmatched.

Versicolored Emerald

Let’s hope I can identify them all properly…

like this brilliant Swallow-Tailed Hummingbird.

Swallow-Tailed Hummingbird

If this trip has taught me anything, it is to come up with a better system next time. I haven’t even started adding up how many new species I saw yet.

Even a hummer needs to take a break.

White-Throated Hummingbird