Visitor

There was a young dove that let me enjoy its company today, while I was carving out my place in the paper caves.

It looked me over a few times to be sure that I was not going to do anything harmful.

 Then it walked over to the other side of the railing on the deck, made itself comfy on the corner and went to sleep.

We spent over an hour together, in peaceful meditation.

Silhouette Hummings

Just a touch of colour from the tail of these sweet, little birds and the silhouette becomes a bit more than it was before. I wasn't sure I was going to get anything out of these, it was so close to nightfall, and the flash annoys these little birds, so I took em by hand, sans the tripod (I'm bad about that), and here's what I ended up with. I like the silhouetted image, and the curve of the wings, and branch. How about you?

Click to see a larger image

Click to see a larger image

Click to see a larger image

Click to see a larger image

Hot Fun in the Hummer Time

He almost looks like a little statue on top of this branch as he braced himself with his wings, while the wind blew through the branches.

These little birds really like the delphinium. This one fought off 3 other hummingbirds while I was watching them, just to keep the claim made on this bundle of blue.

Perched atop the lilac tree on a very small branch. He fluffed up his feathers because the wind was blowing enough to sway that branch back and forth.

This last one makes me laugh. He was so enthusiastic about getting that nectar out, that he stuck his whole head in sideways to reach the sweet spot in the flower. I'm pretty amazed that I caught it.

Humming Right Along

Those of you who know me, know that I spend my spare time stalking my backyard for hummingbird photos. While I have feeders up to keep them happy, and encourage their return, I prefer to get shots of them in their own natural habitat (sans the feeders).

While I was out today, I noticed one that looked very different from those that I have seen in years past. It did not have the metallic green back that many of our backyard hummers have, but rather it was rusty coloured

. The markings were much darker, and the eyes much bigger than the greenback hummers. I was very patient waiting for him/her to get comfy with my presence, and then I saw his treasure!

I have not looked this one up yet, so if you know for sure what type of hummingbird it is, please let me know. If I figure it out first I will come back and let you know :-)

Cat and Bird

When I got home yesterday, there were some visitors in the yard...


This cat belongs to a neighbor, and is a good hunter, as I have witnessed by the clusters of feathers he occasionally lays at the doorstep of my garden shed.








But what I saw was not the "Mighty Hunter" tossing feathers in the air...

It was this spunky little bird that was playing cat and mouse bird with the Mighty Hunter. He would stay close enough to keep the cats attention, and then when the cat got into pounce mode, this little Jay would hop a little closer.





I had a right mind to warn the poor little bird, but instead I went inside to get my camera. When I came back out Mighty Hunter was in stalk mode again.







He seemed to be pretty comfortable in between the grass and the sidewalk, while the little Jay picked up a friend.




Now they were both rushing up to the low laying hunter, and then hopping off again. I was afraid for the cat!







Eventually the cat tired of the chase, and sauntered off to his home again. The little birds followed him for awhile, and then took to the trees.

Humming Along

The hummingbird is such a delicate creature to watch as they flit from one branch to another. I wait for them each year, as the sun warms the sky, so that I too can become part of their world. If I sit quietly beneath them, I can take pictures of them all afternoon.






A couple of years ago, I realized that if I kept the colour of my clothing close to the colour in the nature around me, they were rarely bothered by me... as long as I moved slowly.