Short story:
It is Sunday, September 8th, and it is another hot, sultry day in the Deep South as I walk out onto the terrace to gaze on the mostly brown sticks that once were our beautiful hybrid roses. The unrelenting 90F heat and two month drought has taken its toll. I smiled as I realized that the weed killer I had inadvertently applied to the plants had not completely killed the roses and so far, the dreadful environmental conditions this summer has had a minimal impact, after all, brown sticks are brown sticks. However, there has been a resurrection for all but six plants lately, and the flowers have been either gorgeous, perfectly shaped blooms, or beautiful psychedelic colored odd shapes. As I walked out to check on the Francis Milland roses, I heard airplanes zooming overhead, but, NO, it was too close. I looked around and I was surrounded by hummingbirds. It is unusual to see many in our neighborhood because there are no water sources nearby. Yet, there they were, amazing little feathered rockets that one can barely see.
Then, as I walked inside, I was contemplating why there are so many and I realized it is September, and the annual southward migration is in full deployment. They must be in need of water and nourishment, but there are few flowers around this year. After witnessing their plight, I checked the pantry and found some nectar mix left over from last year. I then decided to go to the nearby DIY store and get a new feeder. Returning home with the bright red container, I mixed the nectar and set it out on the terrace for the little birds. Within five minutes, they had found it and it was fun watching them fight over their turn to sip the "Nectar of the gods" and it provided me with a few minutes to photograph them, which I had never really attempted.
After many frames with the Studio H5D-50c and the S, I have over 100 images to cull, edit and process. I hope to get a half dozen that look okay. I have no idea at the moment how to get really good, sharp images of 1-2" birds but that will be part of my discovery process.
For now, I was blessed by the antics and posing of the birds, and I appreciated the opportunity to spend a few relaxing, but harried moments during a lazy day.
Images forthcoming.:thumbs: