From scarlet to powdered gold,
To blazing yellow, to the rare ashen emerald,
To the orange and black velvet of your shimmering corselet,
Out to the tip like an amber thorn begins you,
Small, superlative being, you are a miracle,
And you blaze.
This is a post I transferred from my old blog. I like to browse through it every now and again, and it makes me very happy finding ones that I haven't thought about in a long time. I may have shared at least one of these photos before, but I don't think the poem has been on here.
A little background on these photos, I tagged along on a business trip to San Diego with Gregg several years before he retired. When he was at work I drove around and was very happy to be back where we had lived for several years.
On this particular day, and because I now had the GPS feature on my phone, it gave me a little push to venture further afield, and I set off for Encinitas. This is where the San Diego Botanical Garden is located. You can see a map at its website here. I found it without any difficulty and set out to explore as soon as the car was parked. I walked every inch of the place, and eventually found myself in the children's garden.
I picked a very quiet day - mid-week - and I practically had it all to myself. It was hot but I had bought a small picnic, and my flask full of water was thankfully still icy cold. I sat down in the shade on a bench among the trees that I can now identify as Pineapple Guava.
Almost immediately I noticed a slight movement out of the corner of my eye. Sitting to my right on a branch a little higher than my head, was this sweet little hummingbird. I had never seen one with my own eyes, so you can imagine how thrilled I was. She rested long enough for me to take several photos, and to observe her for a good while after I had finished snapping away. I was enchanted! I saw a lot of lovely sights that day, flowers as well as birds, but she literally made my day. This is a female Anna's Hummingbird, which apparently are very common in California and Arizona.
The humming bird is looking so exquisite!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great word, it truly was exquisite! Thank you Roentare :)
DeleteHow lucky you were. Hummingbirds fill me with bird envy.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, me too Sue :) I so rarely get to see them and this was a magical memory.
DeleteOh how beautiful Anna's Hummingbird is in your photos, Denise! Though different than our Ruby-Throated ones here, so lovely. A great memory you have shared and pretty verse to accompany the beauty.
ReplyDeleteI am very happy you enjoyed her Martha Ellen and thank you :) I am going to find out about migration and put up a hummingbird feeder just to see. Also plant some of our native honeysuckle in my pot outside. Seeing one so briefly at the end of the summer gave me hope. Sweet little things they are, but so much in nature is I have to say.
DeleteThese photos are amazing. How wonderful to get to observe this sweet bird. I have never seen one perched on a branch before.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ann, so much of this was being at the right place at the right time :) It was the second time I have ever seen one perched on a branch, but the other was inside an aviary out west when we were road-tripping.
DeleteHello Denise,
ReplyDeleteWonderful memories and the hummingbird images are beautiful.
Take care, have a happy day!
Hello Eileen, thank you so much and you take care and have a happy day also :)
DeleteLove hummingbirds...they are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Angie, they certainly are :)
DeleteI have never seen one, and never seen a photo of this one until now. she is absolutely stunning, the prettiest of all the photos I have seen. she is magical. excellent captures and what a great way to spend your time waiting.
ReplyDeleteI agree Sandra, totally stunning and thank you for the sweet comment :) Sitting quietly in a garden with no other company but yourself can be magical.
DeleteI like to go through my labels. i will pick one and just browse. i did it yesterday, for almost an hour, browsing my own blog. it stirs up fond memories like yours did
ReplyDeleteWonderful! I hope you give us more links like you have done. So enjoyable to look at your old posts also :)
DeleteAwesome bird.
ReplyDeleteThank you Anne, I agree, very much so :)
DeleteI don't know the last time I saw a hummingbird. Wait, yes I do, it was last winter in Arizona. I have not seen one in South Dakota since we moved there.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to see one sometime soon, they certainly are wonderful sights to see :)
DeleteSuch wonderful photos of this sweet hummer, Denise. Such a great encounter you had. I, too, like to look back at old posts and remember.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ellen, and looking back at old posts is a great thing to do :)
DeleteDear Denise :=)
ReplyDeleteLovely poem! Humming birds are little miracles of nature, the way they shine and shimmer in their many different iridescent colours is wondrous to see. Your photos are beautiful, I'm so pleased Ana stayed perched on the branch for you to photograph her in all her beauty. I have also only ever seen one, and that was in Brasil when we stayed with friends in Fortaleza. You never forget such moments.
I probably won't be blogging now until after Christmas So I send you all my good wishes for a Happy Christmas for you and your family Denise, and a blessed New Year.
Sonjia.
A great way to describe them Sonjia, little miracles of nature. I totally agree, wondrous as you say. She was a gift! Seeing one in Brazil must have been incredible. Thank you also for your good wishes, I also wish you and your family a very blessed Christmas and an equally blessed New Year :)
Deletesuch a beautiful...magical poem, i really got swept up in the words. the images are so pretty, what a special moment when we see them!!
ReplyDeleteHow lovely, so glad you enjoyed Debbie. Yes, a very special moment, very much so :)
DeleteThat's fun that you go back and look at old posts!
ReplyDeleteLove the little bird. That green is stunning.
Thank you very much! My old blog goes all the way back to April 2008, so I have a lot of posts to keep me busy. I closed it as it seemed to be getting so big, and started this one in 2016. I will keep going with this one until the time comes I will it too. Hopefully not for a good long while though :)
DeleteLovely
ReplyDeleteThank you Christine :)
DeleteDenise, this post is amazing! Beautiful photos!!! Thank you for sharing. Have a cozy evening, my friend.
ReplyDeleteSo happy you think so Billie Jo and you are very welcome :) Thank you my friend, you too.
DeleteMost enjoyable post. Denise. I thought you had written that poem. Aloha!
ReplyDeleteThank you Cloudia, it was a lovely poem wasn't it? I almost wish I had written it but was more than happy to find so that I could share :)
DeleteA very enjoyable post, such nice words in the poem.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Glad you enjoyed it Jan, thank you and all the best to you too :)
DeleteDenise, I'm not sure if you know how special the hummingbird is to me. These are great photos, and sometimes in the Spring when I'm watering my big bush, I see them hovering over it. I think they are drawn to the water. They are a very special bird, indeed. I'm so glad you love them too.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
Hello Sheri and thank you so much for sharing that with me. You have put a lovely scene into my head. I agree, they are a very special bird and I will always love them.
DeleteLovely post! And thank you for your kindness.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda :) I know who the kind person is, the lady who adopted Charlie. That showed great kindness and I have always admired you for doing that. Charlie has such a good life now.
DeleteWe see them in the countryside here, but they migrate south rather quickly in September.
ReplyDeleteThat must be lovely to see them in the countryside William. I'm not sure how much further south they fly from where we are, a lot I imagine :)
DeleteGreat pictures of the hummingbird, and how lucky you were that it just sat there for a photo shoot instead of flying away as soon as it saw you. I think that may be rare..
ReplyDeleteIt was a true gift! I was surprised it stayed as long as it did and was truly grateful. Thank you Sandra :)
Delete