Anna's Hummingbird

This female Anna's Hummingbird was a colorful visitor just outside our kitchen window.
I would love to capture on video the dives that the male Anna's Hummingbird makes to protect its territory. It will fly about 100 feet straight up, then come diving back down, looping up at the end with a noisy, hovering shake of its wings and body. It's quite a performance for such a small bird.

Another backyard visitor

Evening Grosbeaks visit for a short time each year. The male has a very striking pattern and colors. The large bill is perfect for cracking the sunflower seeds in the bird feeder.

Another Expert Flyer

This past weekend, besides the cropduster biplane, I got a chance to take some photos of another expert flyer. The violet-green swallow was taking a brief rest from his aerial maneuvers catching insects on the wing. This swallow's colors are incredible and usually difficult to glimpse as it darts by. The one below was kind enough to pose for me.

I have two fond memories of swallows from years gone by. One was from a kayaking trip on the Willamette River when we saw dozens, if not hundreds, of swallows flying just above the river, within a foot of the surface, in front of us. Occasionally the birds would fly into their nests dug into the high, steep riverbank.

The other memory was from sitting on top the peak of Casa Grande, a mountain in Big Bend National Park in Texas. The swallows kept zipping past so fast, the sound their wings made slicing through the air was loud enough to be easily heard above the strong wind.