Created 21-Mar-26
Bending, twisting, soaring in air; landing; stretching; launching forth again. Anna’s Hummingbird hunts insects, gathering protein. Iridescent feathers flash red, gold, green – winking on and off as the bird twists aloft.
Hummingbirds only evolved in the Western Hemisphere. Though they look as if they are specialized for nectar, they actually get all their protein and a good part of their nutrition from insects. (Does anyone have a good reference for this?) I have spent hours watching a male Anna’s Hummingbird hunting insects from an elevated perch. Actually, he moves too fast and far for me to follow. But if I wait at his perch, he often returns again and again to the same place between insect forays. I focus on the perch, put my camera in burst mode, and take a sequence of photos, hoping he will return within the minute or so my camera can sustain this fast pace. Sometimes I get lucky, and capture a photo of him leaving, circling close, or returning to the perch.
The first gallery is a selection of these images, taken from a trail near my home in Portola Valley Ranch. Such agility! The last four photos here, taken within a second or so, show him landing and settling to rest, watch, wait before taking off again.
In the second gallery, also encompassing a second or so, a Lesser Goldfinch chases him from a different perch. For a hummingbird, a second seems a long time.
The third gallery shows more sky dancing. Notice the flexibility of the wings as they row and stir the air, not just beating up and down. Spreading tail feathers give aerodynamic control as well.
A few earlier photos of Anna’s Hummingbirds in Portola Valley rounds out this offering. Sitting, displaying, drinking nectar, dancing in the air.
Hummingbirds only evolved in the Western Hemisphere. Though they look as if they are specialized for nectar, they actually get all their protein and a good part of their nutrition from insects. (Does anyone have a good reference for this?) I have spent hours watching a male Anna’s Hummingbird hunting insects from an elevated perch. Actually, he moves too fast and far for me to follow. But if I wait at his perch, he often returns again and again to the same place between insect forays. I focus on the perch, put my camera in burst mode, and take a sequence of photos, hoping he will return within the minute or so my camera can sustain this fast pace. Sometimes I get lucky, and capture a photo of him leaving, circling close, or returning to the perch.
The first gallery is a selection of these images, taken from a trail near my home in Portola Valley Ranch. Such agility! The last four photos here, taken within a second or so, show him landing and settling to rest, watch, wait before taking off again.
In the second gallery, also encompassing a second or so, a Lesser Goldfinch chases him from a different perch. For a hummingbird, a second seems a long time.
The third gallery shows more sky dancing. Notice the flexibility of the wings as they row and stir the air, not just beating up and down. Spreading tail feathers give aerodynamic control as well.
A few earlier photos of Anna’s Hummingbirds in Portola Valley rounds out this offering. Sitting, displaying, drinking nectar, dancing in the air.
3/11-12/2026 Sky Dance: Anna's Hummingbird Hunts Insects
Visitors 81
29 photos
Created 21-Mar-26
Modified 21-Mar-26
3/12/2026 Goldfinch vs Hummingbird
Visitors 23
9 photos
Created 21-Mar-26
Modified 21-Mar-26
3/11-12/2026 More Dancing: Clever Wings and Tail
Visitors 44
19 photos
Created 21-Mar-26
Modified 21-Mar-26
Hunting Insects, Gathering Nectar, Posing, Showing Off: Hummingbird Archives 2008-26
Visitors 22
8 photos
Created 21-Mar-26
Modified 21-Mar-26
Dan Quinn