This is probably the same female Anna’s Hummingbird from Tuesday’s post. She perched patiently over the fountain waiting for the Bushtits to finish their bathing frenzy beneath her so I was able to approach, sit down near the fountain, and photograph her while the Bushtits splashed.
Most of the birds in my backyard are tiny. Not just small but tiny like the Anna’s Hummingbirds, the Lesser Goldfinches, and these, the irresistibly adorable Bushtits. The Bushtits are a brigade that descends on the fountain with enthusiasm and joy when they bathe. The fountain has not been working properly recently so the bubble of water that draws them to the fountain was not a bubble. I finally fixed it and I’m hopeful that it will stay fixed during my travels but the reason for its intermittent performance is my nemesis, a neighborhood cat whose owners I have yet to identify. The cat lurks in the shrubs near the fountain and pounces on it when the opportunity presents itself, knocking it off balance and preventing the bubble from emerging. This is a relatively small number of Bushtits bathing at once. There are frequently more than a dozen gleefully splashing there, sticking their heads straight into the bubbling water as they take turns. If I walk out and sit in front of the fountain with my camera as I did for this photograph, they will flee to the safety of the surrounding shrubs, then when I’m settled and still, one by one they return to the business at hand.
My love of Hummingbirds is no secret. Since I started the In Focus Daily Blog in January 2011, these tiny but feisty birds have been featured on the blog many, many times. Most have been photographed in my backyard although quite a few were taken in Madera Canyon, AZ, Patagonia, AZ and the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. The first hummer appeared on January 3, 2011, a female Anna’s Hummingbird. Anna’s Hummingbirds are year-round residents of my backyard and in most years since then, my New Year’s Day post has featured a hummer. This year’s first hummer post is a few days late. This female Anna’s kept her eye on me as I slowly approached but she continued to hover near the feeder so I was able to capture a few shots using the Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z100-400 with the Nikon Z 2X Teleconverter.
It so much fun to watch Sandhill Cranes take off from an iced over pond. They slip and slide across the icy surface inching their way comically as they work up the courage to attempt a take off. They usually stay together in family groups of two or three and when one takes to wing, the others in the group follow closely.
It’s New Year’s Day. Happy New Year! We’re still in the middle of a drought here but half way into the California Rainfall Season, which ended yesterday, Sacramento has measured more than double the average rainfall to date and at six months in, Sacramento has received almost 80% of the average rainfall for the entire year. And that’s a good thing. We’re getting the new year off to a good start. The birds in my backyard seem to enjoy the rain, as well. This female Lesser Goldfinch was surrounded by raindrops as she perched on what’s left of the salvia on the patio a couple of days ago as I was getting a feel for my new Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z100-400 with the Z2X teleconverter attached.