What do you see when you look up?
Again with the hummingbirds…I know! But hey, I’ve got something really cool to show you.
Look how shiny this little guy’s gorget gets, when he lifts his beak toward the sun! Hot stuff, and if you were an Anna’s female, you’d be all over that.
Male Anna’s Hummingbird, flashing his gorget
And oh, those fancy flight maneuvers! While I was snapping pictures, this guy was dive-bombing a potential mate, as they do. Again and again, he reversed directions– tiny wings whirring at 200 beats per second –like a fighter pilot, but minus any special equipment to help resist the forces of gravity. I’m not sure how irresistible those aerobatic feats proved to that beleaguered female. But if they didn’t hook up, it wasn’t for his lack of trying.
Absent the magical effects of sunlight, his gorget feathers are black.
Day 18 of the #AugustBreak2015 photography challenge. Today’s prompt is looking up.