Tuesday Photo Challenge – Colorful Hummingbird
The ruby-throated baby hummingbird in my garden is doing well. He prefers nectar from lavender flowers, but there are not enough flowers to give him the amount of nectar he needs. Mama and Papa feed exclusively from my feeders.
There is a small potted ficus tree in front of the kitchen window underneath the hummingbird feeder. The lavender bush is about five feet from the ficus tree. Baby Hummi flew to the lavender flowers to get nectar. After feeding, he flies to the ficus tree and perches on his favorite spot of the branch until the next feeding. Papa flies around and swoops him up so he gets to fly one round of the palm trees. He quickly comes back to the ficus tree and perches on his spot.
Two days ago, he tried the sugar water from the feeder and liked it. He goes back and forth between the lavender flowers and the feeder. Papa comes by every twenty minutes to take him on flying lessons.
There was a baby hummingbird last year did the same thing. He perched on the ficus branch most of the time and the parent came by to take him flying. When the parents went south for the winter, the baby stayed behind to feed on my feeder throughout the winter.
I was curious about the migration of the hummingbird. I did a research this morning and found out that I will have the baby stay with us for the winter. The website also describes the colors of the birds.
The Colorful Hummingbird
The ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is a species of hummingbird that generally spends the winter in Central America, Mexico, and Florida, and migrates to North America for the summer to breed. It is by far the most common hummingbird seen in North America.
The adult male has a throat patch of iridescent ruby red bordered narrowly with velvety black on the upper margin and a forked black tail with a faint violet sheen. The red iridescence is highly directional and appears dull black from many angles. The female has a notched tail with outer feathers banded in green, black, and white and a white throat that may be plain or lightly marked with dusky streaks or stipples.
During migration southward in autumn along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, some birds embark on a nonstop 900-mile journey. Some older male and female birds were better prepared for long-distance flight than first-year birds by having higher body weights and larger fuel loads.
The Showers of Blessings 
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Beautiful pictures!
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Thank you so much, I’m watching that little baby everyday! The family of three is our resident! I have one feeder in the front yard and one in the back!
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My wife and I got buzzed by a hummingbird the other evening about dusk as we came in the house. It was making a beeline so to speak to the blooming cannas. Was so loud we heard it clearly.
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I hope it was a pleasant surprise for you. I used to have cannas plants, but don’t have them anymore. If hummingbirds like them, I must plant some for next year.
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It was wonderful! They do like the cannas actually. They are big. I’m not sure if they can actually get to the nectar, though; they are such big blooms. I’ll have to do some research on that!
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Yes, I would like to find out also.
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They are so beautiful! 😍
I wouldn’t have expected the young ones to stay during the winter. 🙂
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southern CA is pretty warm. Our property is 60′ x 200′. The baby can fly around by stop by trees and perch on them for at least 20 minutes at a time. He can’t fly 900 miles non-stop to Mexico. I fed one baby bird without knowing the fact. I thought that bird’s wings (not knowing he was a baby) were defect. Now I’ll make sure to feed the baby for the whole winter. 🙂
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Oh wow, he is so lucky to be living on your property so he can be taken care of. 😀
900 miles non-stop? No wonder the poor little guy can’t make the trip – that’s a long distance!
Aww, how nice. 🙂
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I had one stayed for the winter, and didn’t know that was the reason. 🙂
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But you do now for future ones who stay. 🙂
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Yes, it’s warm, so the mama and papa stay around to play with him, take him on a short ride so he won’t perching on the needle of the palm tree all the time. He’s still short and chubby. I love this little baby. 🙂
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Aww, that must be fun to watch! ❤ I can see why you love the little fellow. 🙂
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Yes, I love watching him every day. 🙂
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Lovely captures of such an amazing creature 🙂
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Thank you, he is the resident for the rest of the year now. I hope our winter is not too cold for this little one. 🙂
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Nice Pictures and Beautiful Birds our ONE TRUE GOD the HEAVENLY FATHER CREATED!! 😀
GOD BLESS ALL my Devout Sisters and Brothers in Christ-Messiah Jesus-Yeshua and my Devout Messianic Jewish Sisters and Brothers in Christ-Messiah Jesus-Yeshua and Your Families and Friends!!
Love ❤ Always, YSIC \o/
Kristi Ann
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Thank you, Kristi. 🙂
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You’re very welcome Sister in Christ Jesus-Yeshua Miriam!! 💜💕
Love 💕 Always and Shalom ( Peace ), YSIC \o/
Kristi Ann
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🙂 ❤ 🙂
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Great shots along with some interesting information … thanks for sharing Miriam!
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You’re very welcome. Thank you for reading!
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lol thanks for the follow 🙂
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You’re welcome! 🙂
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Such delicate colors in these creatures. Great photographs, Miriam! Such a wonderful eye you have.
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I had to be patient and waited for him to be in different position to reflect on the colors. He still rests a lot, gave me more time to shot.
I came back from Portland two days ago. Did the rewrite for a submission to an anthology.
How are you doing?
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Well, you certainly have a knack for capturing this little vision. Wow.
Glad to hear you are back from Portland, and congrats on the rewrite! Thanks for asking about me, I’ve been away a bit from social media, doing some thinking and planning about my next fiction project. Excited to be moving forward, finally catching up on the blog community!
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Good to see you back. You’re good in writing fiction. I’m glad you have a plan for your next project. I stay with nonfiction for now. I haven’t caught up with nonfiction short stories I want to write. Also trying to compile come poems to see if I have enough that I like to put together for a small book!
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Thank you, Miriam! So interesting to hear you talk about writing fiction vs. non-fiction. I just took a short workshop on flash – both fiction and non-fiction – but I was probably the only person of 15 who was more at home with fiction, the rest were much more comfortable with non-fiction – essays and memoir. I feel terrible when I write non-fiction, I feel it’s stilted and cardboard-y and I strive mightily to make it interesting, but my fiction just splurges out there and turns into stories and so on. So, after hearing from these other writers how hard it was for them to write fiction, and thinking of how hard it is for me to write non-fiction, I decided, there is a place for each of us, to share our own gifts, and to be supported in our writing community. Good for you!
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The conference that I went to talked about writing nonfiction as if writing fiction. I think there must be a common ground. Probably fiction is considered as sky is the limit as far as using one’s imagination. So far, I have so many life stories I want to tell, but I’m learning to write them as interesting as fiction. The short story I just submitted has guidelines such as start with a problem, and have surprising turns to keep the reader’s interest. I hope I’m not writing boring nonfiction like recording historical documents. Haha!
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Thank you, Frank!
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How precious and beautiful! Hummingbirds are difficult to capture in photos.
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They are my residents, so I patiently wait for them to come to the feeder.
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Hi I am started. Working on my first ebook. Learning at the same time. Is going to take time. I just started with word press.
I’d bookmark same of your staff, I am planing to read them and learn from your work.
That is my email, you can email me anything that you think it will help me with my writing.
Thank you very much.
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Good to hear that. It’s not hard to start wordpress.
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Hi, nice photos! What kind of camera did you use? I just arrived. Are you a photographer?
The reason what I ask is because I have lots of birds in my backyard all the time and would love to take pictures of them, but I have only my cell with a camera.
I see that you are on remission, congratulations 🎈🎊
Me too after 6 year of treatment in 2015. Breast Cancer.
I was informed TODAY, that I have a new Cancer in my tong.
Thank for your time!
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Hi Nancy,
Thank you for reading and comment. I use a Canon SX700HS 30X Digital Zoom. It has several functions such as motion that takes 3 shots continuously, Night shots, video and a few others that I don’t use often. The 30X zoom is powerful for me to take photos of the moon close up. I went to Mt St Helen with my daughter and her hubby. I could zoom in to the top of the mountain from the visitor center and see the smoke coming out. It’s not a professional camera that allow to add lenses.
Yes, I’m in remission for 8 years from melanoma in my organ, not visible skin.
Sorry to hear that you have new cancer in your tongue. I don’t know too much about tongue cancer.
When I was diagnosed with cancer, my husband and I did a lot of research, because I was the first one in both families to have cancer.
Keep in touch and let me know what the doctor says and about your future treatment. 🙂 ❤
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Do you have a different blog? Your profile and link don’t link to any blogs.
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Merci à vous pour ces magnifiques images ☺
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Vous êtes les bienvenus. Je vous remercie pour votre aimable commentaire. You’re welcome. Thank you for your kind comment!
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Thank you for showing these wonderful humming birds. Each picture is a treat for me.
We do not get such exotic birds here.
~ miriam
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Thank you, Miriam. They seem to stay not too far north, nor too south. They are so tiny, they don’t migrate in large ranch of the globe.
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They are beautiful, Miriam. I like how carefully you watch them. Have a lovely time!
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Thank you, Nahla. I’m visiting my granddaughter, but my husband will fill the feeder for me!
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Beautiful post,Miriam! Hummingbirds are one of God’s most beautiful creatures!
Dwight
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Thank you, Dwight. Yes, they are wonderfully beautiful!
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Great photos and I am glad for knowing a bit more about Hummingbirds now. Thanks 🙂
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Thank you, Brian. I only learned more this year. I have hummingbirds around for many years. 🙂
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How wonderful, Miriam. I am so jealous. And you are going to have the baby stay with you throughout winter. You are so fortunate. 🙂
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Thank you, Norah. I’ll do my best to take care of the baby. 🙂
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The baby is in good hands. 🙂
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Thank you. I’m glad it’s not too cold in the winter where I live, and the winter is symbolic, lasts a few days here and there. 🙂
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What beautiful shots you have managed to get! lovely 🙂
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Thank you so much. He perches a lot so gives me plenty of time to shoot. 🙂
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how interesting! I’m glad he’ll be there for the winter! something pretty to look at! xo
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Yes, I’m glad he’ll stay. It’s not too cold in southern California. The baby will be okay. xox
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Beautiful piece and great photos.
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Thank you so much for reading and comment!! ❤
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Wow, Miriam!! These are spectacular photos!! 💜💜
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Thank you, Lynn. The baby bird is beautiful. I’m watching him every day! ❤ ❤
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Aww….they look adorable Miriam 🙂
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Thank you, Radhika. I’m watching him many times a day! 🙂
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