This is a female ruby throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). In this situation, the bird perches on some dead branches of a boxwood. This was just a tactical stopping point. The boxwood was near some of my hummingbird feeders, and this bird is approaching the feeders from below. The feeders at that location were being guarded by a male hummingbird who was trying to run off all other humming birds.
"Ruby-throated Hummingbirds normally place their nest on a branch of a deciduous or coniferous tree; however, these birds are accustomed to human habitation and have been known to nest on loops of chain, wire, and extension cords." - allaboutbirds.org
Last night I managed a slightly fuzzy photo of a garden visitor I first noted on Saturday - a hummingbird moth (Hemaris thysbe). It fed on the night-flowering nicotiana.
This afternoon I was visited by a ruby-throated hummingbird that was very interested in canna flower.
Their feeding behavior, flight patterns, and size are so similar!
This female ruby throated hummingbird looks like she is getting plenty of nectar. Did you know that they also eat small insects.
"The ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is a species of hummingbird that generally spends the winter in Central America, Mexico, and Florida, and migrates to Canada and other parts of Eastern North America for the summer to breed. It is the most common hummingbird in eastern North America, having population estimates of about 35 million in 2021." - wikipedia.org
I cropped this in quite a bit to show off the tail feathers of this ruby throated hummingbird. I don't think I have another photograph of one of these birds with tail feathers spread out like this. But, I'll look around. I think this is a female, but it could be a juvenile, there are lots of them around right now.
I don't know what this female ruby-throated hummingbird was doing. But she visited the regular bird feeder. Curiosity maybe? This the first time I've seen that happen.
This is another image of the same male ruby-throated hummingbird that I posted a little bit ago. This one gives us a look at his ruby throat hence his name. I should note that only the males have this coloring. Females are mostly emerald all over. The emerald color can be iridescent in sunlight. It's quite stunning.
This bird positioned himself on the opposite side of the feeder and would only come into view for brief periods. Then I blinked and he was gone.
This is the first ruby-throated hummingbird that I've seen this year. It was visiting a hummingbird feeder I set up a few days ago. When I saw the photo, I couldn't help to think it looked like it was in a heavenly light. Maybe, this is a photo for a show like "Paranormal Caught on Camera." 😂 What is really going on is that there is an out-of-focus down spout from a gutter directly behind the bird. I couldn't help but want to post this, I have a better photo that I'll post in a little while. OBTW this is a little male.
"Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fly straight and fast but can stop instantly, hover, and adjust their position up, down, or backwards with exquisite control. They often visit hummingbird feeders and tube-shaped flowers and defend these food sources against others. You may also see them plucking tiny insects from the air or from spider webs." - allaboutbirds.org
Here's a female ruby throated hummingbird guarding my hummingbird feeders against intruders. This photo is from September 2022. I haven't seen any hummingbirds yet this year.
"The extremely short legs of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird prevent it from walking or hopping. The best it can do is shuffle along a perch. Nevertheless, it scratches its head and neck by raising its foot up and over its wing." - allaboutbirds.org