Ed Cutler was in the right place at the right time...and he had his camera. He photographed a mama Anna's Hummingbird feeding her chick, which had fledged. The mother is on the left.
It's fun to be able to see this! Thanks to Ed for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
It's sunny and breezy on the Mendonoma Coast. For the first time, I could see the new life in the Osprey nest I watch with my spotting scope. Two scrawny heads were seen today.
Michael Reinhart trained his camera on a beautiful male Anna's Hummingbird. As the sunlight shone on the little bird, the iridescent colors were revealed.
Mike also photographed a male Allen's Hummingbird, the feisty cousin of the Anna's.
Allen's Hummingbirds numbers are in decline, whereas the Anna's seem to be thriving.
Thanks to Mike for giving us these close-up views of these vibrant hummers.
A beautiful, sunny day on the Mendonoma coast today. Windy on the bluffs with lots of white caps on the ocean. Mary Heibel met me at the Point Arena Lighthouse gates and showed me a wildflower I hadn't seen before, Wallflowers. More on them in another post!
Ron Bolander is staying home and photographing in his garden. We are the lucky recipients of Ron's work, as he got this great photo of a Rufous Hummingbird sipping nectar.
Rufous Hummingbirds fly thousands of miles, twice a year. We see them on the coast during their spring and autumn migration. They breed far to our north, and then overwinter in Mexico. These little birds needs a LOT of nectar to fuel their long trips.
Ron also photographed an Anna's Hummingbird.
These little hummers are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast. Rather than put up feeders, which require good cleaning and filling of sugar-water, Rick and I have planted plants especially for hummingbirds. Here are suggestions from the CA Native Plant Society of the best native flowers to plant for them: https://www.cnps.org/gardening/hummingbird-gardening-5098
Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
Beautiful day here today after the fog pulled back. Low 60's. Brown Pelicans have been seen, flying north, and it's always a thrill to see them. The ocean is quite loud, the backdrop to our lives here on the beautiful Mendonoma Coast.
I find hummingbirds difficult to photograph unless they are resting on a branch. Michael Reinhart obviously has no trouble photographing one on the wing.
And here the little Anna's Hummingbird rest on a branch.
Thanks to Michael for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
Storm report: We received 2.80 inches at our house in Anchor Bay. Today we are bathed in sunshine.
Paul Brewer trained his camera on a Allen's Hummingbird feeding on his Pride of Madeira plant. Allen's Hummingbirds are migrating through our area.
Paul also photographed our year-round hummingbird, an Anna's Hummingbird. I believe there is a drop of nectar on this hummer's beak.
Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share these photos with you here. It's not easy to photograph hummingbirds as their wings beat so fast! To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/