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.
Female rufous hummingbirds feed on red hot poker plants. The males are elusive! Only one male has come near me, and I missed the shot.
The red-hot pokers are in full bloom and are magnets for hummingbirds in our area.
I’ve been spending time sitting near a patch of pokers, becoming “part of the landscape” so to speak. It didn’t take long before the hummingbirds would fearlessly feed within a meter (3 feet) of me. That’s a good thing, because the longest lens I have for my camera is a 90mm.
Salal Studio 