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Tuesday, July 11, 2017

The Secret Lives of Hummingbirds. Part Two.

The Summer heat is upon us, today is humid, sticky and heavy. Big fast rain touched the garden this morning and Miss Flora did not appear until later in the day. Her behavior has quickened in recent days, this makes me think that perhaps she laid eggs and they have hatched. She darts from flower to flower with a new speed and incredible agility. 
I caught her napping on a cedar branch a few days ago. I never knew that hummingbirds napped sitting up! As I took her picture, she heard the sound of the camera and raised her head to see where I was and what the commotion was all about, only to rest her head again into her hummingbird slumber. 


Somehow, this picture makes me love her more. She is safe here. Safe enough to stay, despite my paparazzi tendencies to follow her around the garden with a very large and heavy lens, extender and camera body. She is teaching me about what she needs to feel comfortable and stay in one place. It is really a delicious metaphor for life.
It seems we are developing a new rhythm. She comes to the windows, looks in and continues to be just as curious about me as I am about her amazing tiny iridescent green being. 


Her favorite flowers continue to be purple salvia, magenta salvia, and deep orange fuschia. She loves hanging baskets, and it appears as though she often competes with bees for access. I have seen some serious bee pecking happening between the two of them.
The peonies above were from the garden. While she did not fall for the peonies, they were curious to her, she explored them briefly. 


Above is a picture of Flora on the tip of a cedar branch. How those tiny feet stabilize her on that very fine branch tip is very mysterious. The hummingbirds are so very delicate and yet so strong. 
Below is a picture that I took while she was feeding on the purple salvia. She appears so still, and as though she is looking directly at me. 


Since the last post, I have a few more observations to share from my time in the garden. The most significant is that waiting for hummingbirds is a complete and profound mediation. One can not have an expectation, or be tense in any way. She always seems to show up, with a low hum, just when my thoughts have turned inward or towards something beautiful in the garden. 
My nervous system becomes aware that she is near and sometimes I try not to look directly at her because if I move too quickly, she will dart away into the woods. 
I have more access to her when I am so completely in the moment and I remember to breath. There are times that I am taking her picture and I get so excited, I think 'oh this is the picture' and then my heart begins to race and my breath quickens and I realize that the lens is moving too much, there is a lot of wobble.
My capacity to go in, be still and available has only become more spacious with her here this Summer. I feel so very grateful to know her and share these images. 
Wishing everyone a beautiful evening. 



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