Hummer Portrait – Anna’s Hummingbird

Male Anna’a Hummingbird © 2014 Bo Mackison

“There is something inside the soul of all of us that wants to soar through sunbeams, then dance midair in a delicate mist, then take a simple bath on a leaf. There is something in our souls that wants to hover at beautiful moments in our lives, making them freeze in time. There is something in us that wants to fly backwards and savor once more the beautiful past. Some of us are just hummingbird people.” ~ Ted Andrews, Animal Speak

What a beauty, the Anna’s Hummingbird. One of the more common hummingbirds in Arizona, but always a visitor worth stopping for to enjoy  his spirited movements. If nothing else, the hummingbird reminds me to pause and appreciate the beauty surrounding me — and not just the wondrous hummingbird which is easy to appreciate, but all of the mysteries in the natural world.

Flashing his Colors © 2014 Bo Mackison

The male hummingbird turned towards the sun in the western sky, and I saw a magnificent display of his colors, a flash in the sunlight. At a slightly different angle the iridescent pinks fade into deeper colors. This flash of color is often a part of the hummingbird’s mating ritual – the male dives, dances, and flashes his glimmering colors towards a female, signaling his intentions. The female may accept or simply fly off.

This little guy reminds me of a miniature, pink feathered Darth Vader!

Anna’s Hummingbird in Color © 2014 Bo Mackison

“Hummingbird shows us how to re-visit the past for the purpose of releasing it instead of being caught in a permanently backward flight pattern. It also helps us to see that if we step aside we may see our life differently. Hummingbird teaches us to transcend time, to recognize that what has happened in the past and what might happen in the future is not nearly as important as what we are experiencing now. It teaches us to hover in the moment, to appreciate its sweetness.” ~ Constance Barrett Sohodski

Anna’a Hummingbird © 2014 Bo Mackison

Recently I’ve been seeing hummingbirds wherever I go. They seem to be hovering nearby, not only at the backyard bird feeders, but also in the grocery store parking lot or deep in the Sonoran Desert when I am hiking.

I am never too busy to stop and admire their beauty, and be reminded of their independence and determination.