Some of the actions hummingbirds perform can be surprisingly similar to other larger birds. The look of normal flight in this hummingbird is not something you often see. Maybe it is because more pictures are taken of them hovering around a feeder and juking in and out. At any rate, this photo looks much like any other songbird.
This image which I also posted a few days ago puts me in mind of the predatory look and osprey will often display.
Here is a photo of an osprey where you can compare the intensity and similarity of the look.
Although I had never seen it before in hummingbirds, I recognized this posture as soon as I saw the bird display it. It is a threat posture used in defense of a territory or, in this case, defense of the feeder, which the hummingbird considered it's own. Since I knew what the posture meant, I kept firing the camera for a couple more frames and successfully captured one of the few images where I have ever had two hummingbirds in the same picture. (See the photos from the September 11 post.)
Having seen Great Blue Herons display the same posture many times tipped me off to some unusual action getting ready to occur.
This final image is also a universal avian activity. Birds seem to spend an inordinate amount of time preening, but the care of feathers is understandably high on the list of their priorities.
No comments:
Post a Comment