I can honestly say that one of my favorite birds is the little hummingbird.  This little creature is so fascinating and, when in their presence, I find it hard to look away.  I created a bird garden in my backyard about 3 ½ years ago, planted some hummingbird plants and hung hummingbird feeders in hopes of attracting these adorable little birds.  A year or so passed, still no hummingbirds. There were lots of other birds, but no hummers. Then the powerful Hurricane Irma made landfall just south of Naples and barreled north directly over our house.  We were fortunate and did not sustain any structural damage. However, our yard and trees were hard hit. I cried when I first saw my bird garden and the devastation Irma caused and it took a while to get the garden back up and running.  When a storm of that magnitude leaves a path of destruction, it can be hard to find something positive in the aftermath. However, in the midst of the chaos, while I was picking up debris, I saw the most beautiful site. A hummingbird. Then another one.  Two hummingbirds. Two Ruby Throated Hummingbirds were at MY house!! Here it is 3 ½ years later and the hummers still live in my backyard. The most I have counted has been 5 at one time.  

The first fun fact I learned from these little hummers is that they are fast with a capital F.  I spent countless hours sitting outside trying to take their picture. I kept watching their flight pattern until I pinpointed their resting place was on a dead branch in a nearby tree.  While he perched on the branch, I was able to photograph him stretching his wings. It was truly a high-point in my newly found hobby of photography.

But truly one of the most remarkable experiences I have enjoyed was a vacation to the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado with my best friend, Michele.  Michele also shares my passion and love for hummingbirds and photography. While shopping one evening in the little mountain town of Grand Bay, Colorado, we immediately noticed that Main Street was lined with hummingbird feeders.  As soon as we parked, we grabbed our cameras and took off running. We stood in amazement as hundreds of Broad-Tailed Hummingbirds buzzed over our heads on their way to the feeders that lined the street. Many of the shops also had balconies above their shops that were decorated with flower boxes.  The hummers would stop to feed on the flowers before they swooped down to the feeders. The remainder of the pictures I have posted show the Broad-Tailed hummer feeding on the flowers as well as in flight. There were so many hummers that it was hard to know where to point my camera. We took pictures outside of one restaurant for so long that the manager finally came out to see what we were doing.  In fear that he would make us leave, we promised to come inside and eat just for the chance to sit by the window and watch them some more!!  

Again, Thelocallenz found this little bundle of joy both in my local community and across the country in Colorado.  Regardless of where I travel, I am always looking for something that makes that area special. Florida has beaches and Colorado has mountains, but both share the honor of hosting these special little creatures.