Skip to content

Lunchtime Photo

Here's a fun picture. I was snapping away at a hummingbird outside my window and happened to catch it shaking its head the way a dog does to shake off water. In this split second its gorget has swung into the sunlight and is partially obscuring its beak.

BY THE WAY: This picture is a good example of how bird coloring works. As everyone has been telling me since my Tuesday pictures of the bluebird, feathers are sort of like miniature prisms that reflect different colors depending on exactly how the light hits them. This hummingbird's gorget, for example, can look black, brown, or bright orange depending on how the sun hits it. I was lucky that I happened to snap the shutter during the split second that the reflection was bright orange.

February 1, 2023 — Irvine, California

5 thoughts on “Lunchtime Photo

  1. dspcole

    If I had seen that picture without reading your commentary I would have guessed it was a……well, I don’t know what I would have guessed. It looks like a bird with its head cut off.In fact I’m not even sure I would have guessed bird. Maybe an insect? Kind of creepy.

    1. Salamander

      It's kind of amazing the way the feathers have separated and are sticking out "flat" from the neck region. Incredible shot.

Comments are closed.