I remember the first time I saw this beauty in miniature. I had just arrived in California. I
had never been there... I had never been to the States, and everything
was new and fascinating. That morning I was walking by the beach and I
saw this big bug flying around at super-speed. It reminded me of the
stag beetles that were scaring us kids during the summer. I thought of a
big wasp or something, but when I got a closer look, I realized that
bug was actually a bird! A beautiful, fast, colored miniature bird. A
hummingbird.
That was long ago, and only last year I had a chance to take my first shot of one of these wonderful glimpses of light, when their colorful plumage reflects the sun as they fly visiting one flower after the the other, hungry for sugary nectar. Though hummingbirds are quite easy to approach and they are not particularly scared by human presence, it might not be so easy to take a good shot of these fast-flying little guys, especially if you do not have a feeder in your back-yard. In a way, it's been odd that my first shot has been of a specimen resting on a branch, relaxing and cleaning its feathers with the long beak.
400mm 1/320 sec f/6.3
Unfortunately the area was in the shade, the sun was setting and the breeze was moving the tree so the photos didn't come out as I had hoped. Still, I am quite happy with my first shot at this beautiful bird.
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