Life is a miracle beyond our comprehension.
C.J. Briejer
Rather than space out all my hummingbird photos, facts, and thoughts over a few days like a good little blogger, I’m going to declare today Hummingbird Day… All things hummingbird, all day long! Keep checking back!
The insect world is nature’s most astonishing phenomenon. Nothing is impossible to it; the most improbable things commonly occur there. One who penetrates deeply into its mysteries is continually breathless with wonder.
-Dutch Biologist
C.J. Briejer
“Patience, and shuffle the cards.”–CervantesDon Quixote
First, a few words about my photographs.
I am not a photographer, unless you mean in the sense that I take pictures; in which case, we are all photographers.
My camera is a point and shoot Canon, specifically the Canon PowerShot SD 1000
My principle strategy is to take lots and lots and lots of pictures. More than any sane person would take. And out of a hundred, I will have two or three that I am really pleased with, and these are what you see every day. ( I do hope that you like them, by the way.)
But I’m not a professional, I’ve never taken any classes, and I don’t have special equipment. I’ve read that this specific camera is the most popular model currently on the market; I hope this admission prompts some people to get out there and take more pictures.
Second, a few words about hummingbirds.
Until three days ago, I had seen hummingbirds exactly two times. To me, they were like mythical creatures; flights of fancy. Maverick received a feeder for Christmas (thanks, Nanny) and we gamely put it up, but we did not expect tiny miracles to come to our window.
A hummingbird is a teeny tiny wisp of a bird, about as long as your ring finger. His wings beat between 40 and 80 times per second and he flies at speeds up to 60 mph. When he zooms away you can hear his wings buzzing, like something out of a cartoon. He is so agonizingly cute that I want to catch him and cup him in my hands and kiss him on his tiny emerald colored head. His feathers are like fish scales flashing in the light. He hovers, he darts, he brings happiness to my heart.
So now, the question: Can I do the hummingbirds justice with a point and shoot camera? Can I capture their exuberance and the sheer joy they bring me? Freeze the busy whirlwind, the whirling dervish, the blur of wings? It seems an impossible task.
The White Queen says, Six impossible things before breakfast.
Luckily for me, I eat my breakfast quite late. So, today as I did yesterday, I’m off to take pictures of hummingbirds.