The Buzz About Hummingbirds

A photographer learns about them firsthand.

- Robert L. Clark

I like to sit quietly near the hummingbird feeder and take pictures of the birds. One day, I watched them as they left the feeder to see where they would go.

Following the birds wasn’t easy since hummingbirds move so quickly, but I saw that each one usually headed in the same direction. I headed after them and discovered that they were going to perch on small branches.

Soon I was close enough to take good pictures.

One male hummingbird would sit on the same perch almost every time he left the feeder. Wanting to understand what he was doing, I slowly walked closer to his perch.