Home»Jasper Ridge Galleries»A Day at a Time: Individual Visits»4/16/2022 Male Anna’s Hummingbird Shows Off his Finery

Perched at the top of a branch, a male Anna’s Hummingbird performs his midday toilette, stretching out, grooming his feathers, spreading his tail, finally flying away. Fully aware of my presence, he seems to be showing off a bit. [Anthropomorphism alert!] As the angle shifts between the sunlight and the two of us, iridescent colors flash on and off – brilliant crimson hood, touch of greens on body feathers. The two and a half minutes we spend together seems much longer.

Earlier, a Crab Spider lurks on the blossom of a Blue Dicks; a Great Blue Heron hunts the creek, dew bespeckles a flower; a California Newt inspects my shoe; and a Beefly pollinates flowers of naturalized Beaked Hawksbeard.

Just for fun, there is another gallery nearby with even more hummingbird photos. For another encounter, on Windy Hill, see <https://capturethelight.zenfolio.com/230311>.