Hummingbirds & Flowers
Now that summer is officially over, I’ve been reflecting on this year’s hummingbird season. As much as I love fall, it means having to bring in the feeder, and that always makes me a little sad. The birds seem to have moved on earlier than usual this year, but man I enjoyed them while they were here. When I look back on my photos from this year, I think I’ll remember this as the year when a bunch of my favorites came together.
I have what I think of as a sort of bucket list of photo opportunities I hope to get. I’m always looking to improve my skills, and someday I hope to update my camera, but I get such a thrill out of capturing a hummingbird in a new spot. We only have ruby-throated hummingbirds here, so I hope to someday be able to go somewhere that has the really colorful varieties. For now I love seeing what I can capture in my own backyard.
I didn’t spend much time outside earlier this summer because it was just so hot, so all of these photos were taken through my kitchen or dining room windows. Maybe next year I’ll get back out there and try hand-feeding my little buddies again.
One of my favorite flowers is the columbine. It’s tied to my love of Colorado and my memories of seeing all sorts of colors of them growing there during our summer trips when I was a kid. I’ve attempted to grow them from time to time as an adult (I was sad to leave behind a gorgeous plant when we last moved), but in this house I’ve been growing them in pots on the deck, and I’ve been lucky if I’ve had one last a full season even though it’s a perennial plant. I was very pleasantly surprised to discover in the spring that a plant I hadn’t seen any growth from in probably couple of years was growing big and beautiful! I was absolutely thrilled when the hummingbirds started checking it out. A male hummingbird even! I didn’t see many of those this year.
Also in the spring we started a sunflower plant in a CD jewel case, and it did beautifully when we transplanted it into a big pot on the deck. This dwarf sunflower plant had up to four blooms at once, and it made my heart so happy. After I watched a hummingbird checking it out but couldn’t photograph it because it was down so low, I hauled that gigantic (heavy!) pot onto the table and hoped that the birds would check it out again. It wasn’t long before I was rewarded with the opportunity to take these. Hummingbirds and sunflowers?! It doesn’t get much better than that.
I discovered years ago that hummingbirds love the Althea tree we have out front, and I’ve taken many many pictures of them since then. I’ve stood on the porch for hours taking pictures and wondering if my neighbors this I’ve completely lost my mind. So I couldn’t believe it when I was able to get these pictures this year (my best yet!) through the dining room window!
I don’t know what’s in store next year or how it will top this, but I can’t wait to see what happens!
