Three Little Visitors

Occasionally, I have had shy, little visitors come by for a short visit.  I admire how beautiful they are and rush for my camera so I can take their picture.  Sadly, they are usually gone by the time I return.  Well, in just the past month, I have had three visits from these little friends and I did have my camera!

The first visit occurred while I was taking pictures of plants at the Arizona State University Arboretum.  My little friend showed up, apparently unconcerned by my presence and went to work on extracting nectar from the nearby Lantana.

You may ask, "How do you know it is a he?"  Well, as with most birds, the males are brightly colored and the females are rather drab in color.   This was an Anna's Hummingbird, one of the hummingbird species that lives year-round in the deserts of Arizona.

Here is another little friend who took a break from eating to rest in a close-by Sycamore tree.

 The last encounter occurred while I was working outside.   I heard the characteristic cheeping of a hummingbird and I looked up to see him busy flying around.  Perhaps, he sensed an opportunity to be photographed and so he alighted in my neighbor's Eucalyptus tree.  I ran inside to get my camera and he was courteous enough to wait for me to take some pictures, perhaps hoping to become famous when I posted the photos of him on my blog ;^)

The sun was setting and he was happy to just perch and watch the day end while I happily clicked away with my camera.

Can you see him?  Of course, he was not going to make taking pictures that easy.  So he moved a bit.  He is located just beneath the largest branch, he looks like a leaf.  His green coloring blends well with the leaves.

I just love the vibrant green color of the Anna's Hummingbird.  Soon after I finished taking pictures, my little friend soon flew away home.  I am grateful he stayed until I was finished.