Three species of hummingbird are now visiting our feeders: the Black-chinned, the Rufous and the Calliope. They are going through a lot of sugar water, reminding me that my main responsibility of the summer is feeding the hummingbirds, and my main entertainment of the summer is watching and photographing the hummingbirds. This is made easier by the fact that I work at home, and can readily photograph the hummers through open doors and through windows.

First, here’s today’s Rufous action around one particular feeder. The advantageous backdrop of this feeder is a grove of locust trees that, in the morning, provides a dark background for my side-lit shots.

Rufous hummingbird male

Rufous hummingbird male

Rufous hummingbird threesome

Rufous hummingbird female, with her attention-getting tail display

Rufous hummingbird foursome

Here are the Black-chinned and Calliope hummingbirds:

Black-chinned hummingbirds

Black-chinned male

Black-chinned female

Calliope male

The Broad-tailed hummingbird was here in the Spring and then left for higher elevations. They will come back through at the end of the summer:

Broad-tailed male

These photos are all from this Spring and Summer.