Hummingbirds in the Garden

Hummingbirds in the Garden

Huntington Library, Art Museum, & Botanical Gardens

K. W. Bridges & N. L. Furumoto

2023

2023 © K. W. Bridges & N. L. Furumoto

kim@hawaii.edu

All photos were taken by the authors during a single visit to Huntington Gardens in January, 2023.

First, you must listen. This is the cardinal rule of the hunt for the elusive hummingbirds. Their melody is a delicate, musical chirp that rides on the soft breath of the wind.

When you hear it, pause, and let your senses take over. Turn your gaze towards the source of the sound, as though you are playing a game of hide and seek.

Often, you’ll spot your sound target perched high on a branch. These avian artists have a predilection for the loftiest of branches, their small, dainty bodies dwarfed by the towering trees. The hummingbird will be but a tiny dot, too far away for you to see the details of its iridescent plumage.

With patience as your companion, you continue the wait. All the while watching.

And then, you might be rewarded with a closer view. The hummingbird, with wings fluttering like nature's own ballet dancer, may swoop down with a buzz. Its goal, most likely, is to drink nectar from a nearby blossom. It’s now that you’ll see the bird’s colorful feathers glowing in the dappled sunlight.

A Few Notes on the Photographs

All the photos were taken handheld with a Sony Alpha-1 camera and a Sony 135 mm f/1.8 GM lens. The A1 is a wonderful camera for bird photography as the bird eye focus works well most of the time. The 135 mm lens, however, is a bit short for this task. The result was a need to do some serious image cropping.

Our visit to the garden was not the focus of this trip; this was only a way-stop on a Hawai`i-JapanHawai`i expedition (via LA). The camera-lens combination was chosen for the Japan travel segment, not for California wildlife. A further complication is that January is not a prime hummingbird month in California. Allen’s hummingbirds are one of the few species you’ll see at this time of the year. Nonetheless, we were able to capture quite a few hummingbird images during our three-hour visit.

The photos show the diversity of plants used by the birds. It's a gentle reminder that hummingbirds can often be found in the most unanticipated of places. Just listen for the chirps.