BirdWatching

Sprite flight

I’m watching a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird on bee balm. He’s hovering, as if on a skyhook, taking on nectar. Then he backs out about 5 inches and freezes in space, his wings a blur. Then he vanishes up and away, as if shot from a canon. I’ve lost him. Now he’s back, pauses, and shoots up about 6 inches, pauses, and then flies head-first into another flower. I’m mesmerized.

Of all avian attributes, none is as essential as flight. For most flying birds, flight is a variation on

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