Heartbeat

Did you know that a ruby-throated hummingbird's heart beats 1200 times per minute when they are feeding?  By contrast, when I am exercising, I keep my heart rate at 130 beats per minute.  

I was out on the patio this morning, enjoying the birds, chipmunks and squirrels when a flash of motion caught my eye as this hummer zoomed in to drink from the honeysuckle.  I swung my lens around and snapped off one burst of images, including this one.  And then he was gone.  Getting hummers in flight is always a challenge and I frequently end up with empty frames or blurred images - but sometimes it all works out.  

Cardio at the gym today, and then home to do some needed weed whacking (figure that counts as upper body for today).  And frittered away a ridiculous amount of time just watching the goings-on in the yard.  Some idle thoughts....

There is one blue jay around right now who is very close to taking peanuts from my hand - he/she is obviously used to friendly humans.  

Xena, the chipmunk, now runs up to me when I'm on the patio to inquire about peanuts.  I adore her.

Baby birds are starting to fledge...in addition to house finches, I saw fledgling starlings and robins today and pretty sure I heard red-bellied woodpecker fledglings up in the trees.  June is always a great month for babies. A heavily cropped shot of a fledgling American Robin in Extra.

Hubs and I have made plans for our first RV adventure in about 2 weeks.  We aren't going far, only a few hours, but it will be a good drill for us to make sure we know how to use everything.  

Off to meet my naturalist group tomorrow for a walk in the western edge of the county - weather should be perfect and camera battery will be fully charged...

xo
Debbi