Waiting For Anna's

Day 341: Obviously I'm getting a little desperate for material here, but this photo does mark a significant event. As I was standing by the window yesterday evening, a hummingbird came to the feeder, and as it turned its head, the light caught on its feathers in a manner which made my jaw drop. Unmistakably, it was a male...MALE!...Anna's, its crown and cheeks as red as its throat. By the time I had regained my composure and picked up the camera, it was gone. It was verging on dusk, smoke adding to the gloom, but I set up the tripod anyway in the hopes of catching my elusive guest. He did return, but my reaction time coupled with digital delay did not allow me to capture the colour. This morning, he has been back repeatedly and is being chased off by what I believe to be a juvenile male not yet fully coloured. The territorial bird seems to have more red on its head than the females exhibit. Perhaps I've had more boys around than I thought. It took the females a while to develop their throat patches. In any event, what lingering doubts I might have had about my identification of Anna's have now been dispelled entirely with the appearance of one gorgeous, if unfortunately camera-shy gentleman of the species.