Gilded

That's pollen on the bill of this female Anna's Hummingbird, looking like gold dust.

My plan to do some pruning in the front yard this morning, right next to the hummingbird feeder, did not meet with her approval. She hovered nearby several times, making a sound like an elderly aunt's disapproving tongue click.

Needing a break, I leaned against the sun-warmed wall of our house and let the tiny bird -- which may be a juvenile, as she had no iridescent red markings on her throat -- enjoy her "nectar" in peace while I took photos. You can see her long, tube-like tongue extending beyond her black bill in this photo.

It's nearly 9:30pm, and it's still light outside -- and in the west, there are bands of deep pink and purple from what was probably a very pretty sunset, although not nearly as spectacular as the gloriously gilded one that Phil photographed yesterday.