Every year when our red-hot pokers start to bloom, the hummingbirds descend in a jubilant frenzy to feast. Each tends to claim a particular patch of flowers as its own, and defends it against other hummingbirds who dare to trespass. However, they’ve gotten so used to me now that they will feed even if I’m sitting in the middle of “their” patch of flowers.
Another stunner, Karen. There are hummingbirds in Wyoming and if I’m sitting on the porch wearing red, they always think I’m some sort of giant hummingbird feeder and buzz me. π
janet
Thanks! I have a pink flowered shirt that has the same effect!
incredible piC! β€ it
Thank you!
An amazing little bird. Very nice captured.
Thank you, Lena.
Wow. Awesome pic. The bird and flower colors are harmonious.
Thanks very much!
Awesome pic, Karn! I didn’t know that such a diminutive bird could be territorial! So cool that they are used to you and accept you! π
Thanks, Tom! Yes, they can be quite vicious to one another, little dive-bombers.
Wonderful picture!
Thank you!
amazing capture.
Thanks very much!
With as fast as hummingbirds move, it’s no small feat to get such a great shot. They are fascinating to watch.
Thanks. My lens is manual-focus, so pre-focussing and then taking lots of shots is my modus operandi. π
How weird is this?! Here i am in the southern hemisphere’s autumn grinning because the red-hot pokers are coming into full bloom and the local sunbirds are visiting. Just shows how versatile nature can be in adapting to circumstance π
Ha, that’s funny!
Beautiful! I’ll have to watch my RHP. The bees love it but I’ve not seen the hummers out there. Of course they’re rather fond of the feeder in the back. π
The feeder is probably less work. I wonder if your hummers would feed off your pokers if the feeder wasn’t there.
Wonderful shot, you are lucky our dog chases the birds from our garden.
Thank you! Our dog would happily co-mingle with the birds, except for the crows. For some reason she hated the crows and would chase them off every time they came around.
So beautiful :o)
They are such beautiful little creatures indeed.
What a lovely little humming bird. Lovely shot:)
Thank you!
wonderful photo
Thanks so much!
Fantastic shot.
Thanks very much!
AMAZING photo!!!
Thanks, Paige!
This looks like it might be a male rufus but I’m not sure. We only have ruby throated hummingbirds here in Connecticut (and we’re loaded with them at the moment, they’re all back from their migration south). The west coast has Annas, Allens, and Rufus hummingbirds and given where you are, I’m guessing they all migrate south at the end of summer.
We love them, they’re very aggressive and territorial little characters and babies born at a feeder will return there the next year. That amazes me, that they essentially have GPS coordinates baked into firmware and travel well over 1000 miles south, then back north to the same feeder.
Our other migratory birds do this as well (rose breasted grosbeaks, Baltimore orioles, and others) but there’s something about the size and seeming fragility of a hummingbird that makes it seem more amazing.
Very nice shot.
Thanks! I’m so glad we have hummingbirds here. They are fascinating to watch.
I’ve seen the Anna’s and rufous hummingbirds around. We may well have the Allen’s too, but I don’t know if I could tell them apart from the rufous. The photo above is definitely a female — the males have a distinctive shiny red throat patch. Here’s the only decent photo of a male that I’ve been able to get:

Great. Definitely a male.
Pretty cool. I know that it is hard to capture it like that (well, for many birds anyway). Kudos!
Thank you!
What a stunning entry; makes me want to see more of your work as a photographer.
I’ll be following you from now on. Have an amazing day! π
Stunning. We live in AZ and we have hummingbirds year round. Love them. They love our yard. I know how difficult it is to get them to “Sit” for a picture. Thanks.
Thank you — they are such beautiful little creatures.