Feeding Away The Sunset

     The garden began to cool as the sun slipped lower towards the horizon, so we decided to sit in another location in the garden where the warmth of the sun would finish the day.  Delphiniums surrounded us on all sides, and it didn't take long for the young hummingbirds to once again begin their squabbling.  It's always interesting to see the garden from a different viewpoint as you see things that you normally wouldn't.  Delphiniums had grown and leaned towards the back of our garden chairs, while others surrounded us just a few feet away. Then a little dart swooped in, and the humming began.  I could feel a vibration of the hum right behind my head and then a gentle tapping on my back as a young hummingbird pushed enthusiastically into the flowers to get the nectar. It's a time where you don't move or blink, but just soak up the moment to memory.  Then he shifted to the flowers right in front of us.  He, like all the others in the garden, fed vigorously to take in as much nectar as possible before another aggressive bird would move in for an attempted takeover.  He would feed until nearly exhausted, break for a minute or two, then right back to feeding.  We sat as still as possible while I captured numerous shots of him sitting on the fragile little branches and feeding away the sunset.
     Juvenile Ruby-throat hummingbird. N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. August 8, 2019. 

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