Late Autumn's Hummingbird

 

"Some of my old memories feel trapped in amber in my brain, lucid and burning, while others are like the wing beat of a hummingbird, an intangible, ephemeral, blur."

~Mira Bartock

The Memory Place

I see a hummingbird, sitting at the very top of a certain branch, of a certain tree, every time I visit Cull Canyon Park, in Castro Valley, no matter what season I visit. I have no idea if it's the same one every time, or if this type of tree is just perfect for hummingbirds, but it's always a Anna's Hummingbird, and it loves to pose for me! Anna's Hummingbirds have been a real challenge for me to photograph, most of the time I have had trouble getting their colors, that bright or pink under their chins, or sometimes their bright green coat on their backs. It's difficult from any distance! But for some reason, I seem to do better with them in late autumn. Maybe it's because I am more relaxed, or is it really the autumn sun that brings the color? I don't know which, all I know is I am grateful for it. These birds are absolutely gorgeous, and they make life beautiful!

Off To Plumas County

From For Ellipsis

"A flash of harmless lightning, a midst of rainbow dyes, the burnished sunbeams brightening, from flower to flower he flies."

-John Banister Tabb (The Hummingbird)

According to the Leaf-Peeper report at the Plumas County Visitor's Bureau website, this week is peak time for the autumn foliage, so, Alan and I are on our way! If all goes as planned we will have left the house at 3:00 AM and will arrive sometime around 8:00 AM. today. I will be away from the computer today and tomorrow, but I am using the handy dandy scheduling feature to post while I am away. For tomorrow, I have scheduled a new entry about Hendrix, but for today, I bring you some photos from a couple years ago, my Anna's Hummingbird Series. Purple is a favorite color of mine, so when I saw this beautiful bird darting in and out of the little purple flowers, I just had to photograph it. It took a great deal of patience, and a lot of luck, but in the end I was happy with what I accomplished. I hope you enjoy this look back at this amazing bird...

Anna's Hummingbird (Pebble Beach/Monterey, California, October 11th, 2007)

From For Ellipsis

From For Ellipsis

If all goes well today, I will have not just foliage photos to share with you this weekend, but some new bird photographs as well. Wish me luck! Be sure to check back this weekend to see the photographic results of my trip to Plumas County!

-Carly

Anna's Hummingbird

Gentle day's flower
The hummingbird competes
With the stillness of the air

-Chogyam Trungpa


Last Thursday, we took a drive down south to Pacific Grove, and spend the day along the 17 Mile Drive. We visited all our favorite stops along the way, and had a picnic lunch at Bird Rock. Afterwards, we continued along to the Lone Cypress, and then finally, Pebble Beach. We usually stop in at the Pebble Beach market for an afternoon treat of fresh fruit or cheese, but lately we have been forgoing the late afternoon indulgences. It's better for my diabetes if I try not to snack between meals, and truthfully I wasn't particularly hungry, so we just stopped for a little while to enjoy the ocean, and the grounds of the Pebble Beach Golf Course.

While we were there, we found the most beautiful bush of purple flowers, which seemed to be the favorite afternoon snack of some gorgeous hummingbirds. I was amazed at how beautiful they were as the sun caught their colors, as they moved in and out of the flowers. My Audubon bird guide, lists them as "Anna's Hummingbirds." I don't remember seeing that variety up in the Bay Area. I will have to do some additional reading to see if they are mainly found along the central coast of California. I will be heading to the Pacific Grove either later this month or early next month to visit the Monarch grove, so hopefully I will get a chance to study them a little closer. :) They were fascinating to watch, as well as photograph, but then again, any new bird that I get to discover with my camera, always becomes my new favorite. :)

-OndineMonet
"Anna's Hummingbird"
Pebble Beach Golf Course
Pacific Grove, California
October 11th, 2007
Afternoon