Thursday, September 8, 2011

Hummingbird Studies--Vickie Henderson

This is my favorite time of year to watch hummingbirds.  The heavy migration time in the east varies depending on where you live.  In east Tennessee it's now.  Tropical storm Lee has pushed cold air and lots of rain our way and hummingbirds are coming down in droves, escaping the wind and rain.
This creates a perfect opportunity to enjoy and observe their behavior.  I have five feeders out now and they are all busy.  Yesterday while refilling two of them, I was amazed to see that every feeder had three to four hummers settled on it, quietly drinking.  Just what makes them settle down peacefully for a moment is a mystery of subtle hummingbird communication.  It doesn't last long.  A moment later, they are chirping with tails fanned and giving chase!

Hummingbirds from the north begin migrating through Tennessee in July.  Last year by September 19th, all of our male Ruby-throated hummingbirds had departed; by mid October most all of the hummers here will be gone and settled on their wintering grounds in southern Mexico and Central America.

To see more about my hummingbird studies, visit:  Hummingbird Studies--Movement and Light, at Vickie's Sketchbook.  For more information about Ruby-throated hummingbirds visit:  The Hummingbird Days of Summer, at Vickie Henderson Art.

11 comments:

  1. oh wow, i can just see the wings fluttering,, amazing!

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  2. Vickie, waht a beautiful rendering of the hummer!

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  3. Oh Vickie! He's gorgeous! I love the way the background is blurred. I wonder if that's the way they see things all the time? Your colors are lovely. Great treatment of his wings.

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  4. This is just beautiful Vickie. The majority of our hummers are gone.

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  5. Thank you, Laurie. It's amazing how fast they move their wings, faster than my shutter speed.

    Thank you, Kathryn!

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  6. Thank you, Paula. My hummer book says they have "keen" eye-sight. And that makes sense since they glean insects from leaves while in flight, as well as eating tiny insects that are in flight. Their lives are a marvel no matter what aspect you think about.

    Thank you, Teri. Maybe some of your hummers are still passing through!

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  7. All your colors capture the jewel-like essense of the hummer. Beautiful!

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  8. Oh aren't you just so lucky Vickie! this is a beautiful sketch, would love to see the sight of them all drinking!

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  9. Vickie!!!
    It's beautiful!! I love the use of color! It looks so ethereal! Wonderful job.

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  10. You really caught the color and motion, Vickie! Thank you for all the links to MORE!!

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  11. The colors of the humming bird is delicious…I love the way you were able to captured the wing movement.

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