Hummingbird

— I don’t know how long I have waited to photograph a hummingbird in our own backyard, here in Austin. Although I had previously seen them quickly drinking the nectar from some of our flowers, I had never been able to photograph them. Hummingbirds are difficult to photograph for obvious reasons: they simply move very fast most of the time.

Last year, during the lockdown period, I decided to invest in a hummingbird feeder in hopes those birds would come to the house. I even bought a nectar at the store to fill the feeder. Well, I thought that would help. Not a single hummingbird ever showed up at the feeder — at least not while I was watching it. I took the feeder down before the frozen apocalypse and waited until our backyard project was completed. In the meantime, I also read that those red drinks from stores are actually not good for the birds.

Last week I re-arranged our feeders in order to have the hummingbird feeder right close to our dining area. It was also located close to the other feeders with seeds I use for other birds. This time, however, instead of using the red liquid I had purchased in a store, I made the recommended clear-liquid drink hummingbirds love: one part sugar and four parts water. Well, the birds must smell that from miles away. I did not have to wait long to see a hummingbird fly by. It had not been even an hour I had put up this feeder when I spotted the first hummingbird getting closer to it.

These flying wonders are attracted to sugary water like there’s no tomorrow! It’s wonderful to watch them approach and get comfortable. Sometimes they will even take a break and stop flying, as seen in the photo below. Unfortunately, these photos here are not as sharp as I’d like them to be. However, I’m so glad I can now document the hummingbirds that have come to our backyard garden.