Only God Knows!

One of the larger and junkier “hummers” this past week in Ecuador, the Velvet-purple Coronet was one of the bigger challenges to tell its story. Unlike typical hummers, they don’t really pick one feeder and make it theirs. They do like to chase each other, but it seems more like a game than anything else. And photographing them hoovering was impossible for me! Then come in and land, hold their wings over their heads for a few seconds, and then get to work drinking. Then they zoom off to do whatever it is they do. When they do perch, it tends to be in a locale deep in foliage, making a clean shot a real challenge. The adult males light up grander than a neon factory, so brilliant it takes your breath away. I never got one of them in the viewfinder perched, but on my last day, I had a youngster stop long enough to capture four frames. The color is breathtaking for sure, the flight memorizing and cuteness is off the chart. Who came up with this magical design, only God knows!