Day Three - the Airborne Brigade!

A bleak and rainy day with absolutely horrid light conditions for me and Big Daddy. So, this was taken at ISO 1600, cropped and lightened - all by way of explaining the ridiculous amount of noise in the image. Still, I liked the head-on action of it...and I was tired of dodging raindrops.

That said, there is something about the rain that seems to stir the hummers into a frenzy. At one point while I was hunkered under the umbrella, I estimated 20 hummingbirds whizzing around the deck and patio!

Actually, I woke up feeling like poo this morning - sore throat, soggy head, just blah. Could be weather related, which is to be hoped for since I really don't feel like having a cold right now.

Today's Ruby-throated hummingbird tidbits...

...their heartbeat is 1260 beats per minute
...in addition to nectar from flowers (and feeders) they also eat small insects such as ants, spiders and mosquitos
...in the male courtship "flights" wing beats can reach 200 beats per second
...and as I've mentioned before, their legs are too short for walking or hopping meaning that the best they can do is perch and shuffle.

Thanks for joining me on my Week of Hummingbirds challenge - I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am!

I'm going to take my soggy head to bed for a while, hoping to feel more human later.

xxoo
Debbi

And five other shots from today on Flickr, starting HERE