June 17 – Hovering Jewel

In this photo, a ruby-throated hummingbird pauses for just a second as it backs away from the feeder. With a lupine photo as a backdrop and multiple high-speed flash units, I captured this close-up moment that normally happens too fast for the eye to see.

These tiny birds can flap their wings up to 80 times per second and can hover in mid-air by rapidly moving their wings in a figure-eight pattern, something no other bird can truly do.

The red patch on the male hummingbird’s throat is called a gorget. What makes it remarkable is that the color comes from iridescence rather than pigment. The feathers contain microscopic plate-like structures that reflect light, causing the throat to flash brilliant ruby red only when the light hits it at the right angle.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” – Matthew 6:26

Only God could have conceived of such a work of creation, made for His glory and our enjoyment.