Hummingbird Blog - Hummingbird Pictures

Hover: Hummingbirds at the Tempe Public Library

Hover: Hummingbirds in the United States is on display at the Tempe Public Library. The interactive ebook is installed on an iPad, and it is ready to be explored. Look for slow motion hummingbird flight, beautiful colors, and the wonder of a hummingbird egg hatching.

An image of Chapter 1 of Hover: Hummingbirds in the United States installed on an iPad at the Tempe Public Library — Hover: Hummingbirds in the United States on iPad

It’s a Wildlife

Hover is on display as part of an art exhibit in the Tempe Youth Library. The art show is titled “It’s a Wildlife”. The show features the work of April Howland, Maria Mahar, and Thomas Strich. April’s contribution to the show are her wonderfully bright and whimsical wildlife paintings. Maria and Tom’s contribution focuses on their work around hummingbirds in Arizona. Their work includes hummingbird-related materials to engage and inform viewers through photographs, drawings (coloring pages), and slow motion video.

“It’s a Wildlife” is on the lower level, at the main entrance to the Youth Library. Hover is in the open gallery area, available for any child or adult to enjoy. Look for the iPad case mounted on a low pedestal.

Lucifer Hummingbird photograph — Lucifer Hummingbird

Hummingbird Coloring Pages for Adults and Children

As part of the show, Tom has provided free hummingbird coloring pages for adults and children. There are 5 designs – from simple to complex. The Library keeps copies available on the kiosk. Color pencils can be checked out at the Youth Desk. The original color photos are posted on our hummingbird blog.

Hummingbird coloring pages by T.A. Strich displayed on a kiosk — Hummingbird Coloring Pages at the Tempe Public Library

“It’s a Wildlife” is up through October 11, 2017. Come by, see the art work, and take home some free hummingbird coloring pages!

Thank you to the City of Tempe Youth Library management and staff and the Gallery at Tempe Center for the Arts management and staff for making “It’s a Wildlife” possible. And thank you to April Howland for her delightful work.

Go here to see excerpts of Hover or go to iTunes to download a sample chapter.

Thanks for coming by.

Compare Your Hummingbird Coloring Pages to the Original Photos

Compare your hummingbird coloring pages to the original photos. Tom creates all of the hummingbird coloring pages on Hummingbird Pictures from our photos. This means we can share the original images with you as reference photos.

Tempe Youth Library “It’s a Wildlife” show

As part of the City of Tempe Galleries art show, “It’s a Wildlife”, we have shared five different coloring pages with the Tempe Youth library. Head over to the Youth Library to get yours! Match your colors to the original photos … or be creative and color them as you wish!

Here are the coloring page reference photos for “It’s a Wildlife” art show:

New! August 2017:

Male Anna's Hummingbird picture — Male Anna’s Hummingbird at Penstemon flowers

This male Anna’s Hummingbird was feeding from Penstemon flowers next to our driveway. His head and gorget feathers look dark from this angle. If the feathers catch the light right, they will look bright pink (like the hummingbird on the cover of Hover).

Images to match coloring pages, from May 2017 on:

coloring page reference photo for Costa's Hummingbird coloring page by Thomas Strich — Costa’s Hummingbird coloring page reference photo

Costa’s Hummingbirds are our small desert hummingbirds. This photo was taken in Superior, Arizona.

Coloring page reference photo for Black-chinned Hummingbird coloring page by Thomas Strich — Black-chinned Hummingbird coloring page reference photo

If the sun catches a male Black-chinned Hummingbird just right, you can see a bright band of purple in the feathers at the base of his throat. Take a look here!

Coloring page reference photo for Mother Hummingbird Sits her Nest coloring page by Thomas Strich — Mother Hummingbird Sits her Nest coloring page reference photo

This Anna’s Hummingbird nest was in Tempe, Arizona. Anna’s Hummingbirds will nest in the city and the wilderness.

Color page reference photo for Hummingbird with her Two Chick coloring page by Thomas Strich — Hummingbird with her Two Chicks coloring page reference photo

This nest was also in Tempe, Arizona. See more hummingbird nests and babies here. More pictures and video of this nest and these hummingbird babies are in our interactive ebook, Hover: Hummingbirds in the United States.

We hope you color the pages as you’d like: either with natural colors or with wildly creative colors. We would love to see what you do with the coloring pages! Send us a message or post to our Coloring Hummingbirds Facebook page.

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Two hummingbird coloring pages from Coloring Hummingbirds, pens, and color pencils — Hummingbird Coloring Pages

Photos and coloring pages on here are www.HummingbirdPictures.net are available for your personal or educational use (and we love it when you share), but the material is not for commercial use. If you wish to use any material for commercial purposes, please contact us here. All material is copyright protected to Maria Mahar and Thomas Strich. Thank you!

Hummingbird Takes Off

When a hummingbird takes off, it often appears to fly straight forward or straight up. We do not see a hummingbird make a big, obvious hop, followed by steady wing beats to gain altitude.

A hummingbird has relatively small leg muscles compared to other birds. A hummingbird does use its legs, but the powerful flight muscles in the chest do the most of the work. Those muscles, plus the hummingbird’s shoulder joints, make some dramatic take-offs possible.

A hummingbird can take off with power – sometimes flying straight forward, sometimes almost straight up. (This doesn’t mean a hummingbird won’t use gravity to start by dropping from a perch … it just doesn’t have to in the way some other birds do.)

Flying Forward

A male Allen's Hummingbird sits on a perch, looking to the side — Allen’s Hummingbird Perches

Hummingbird takes off from his perch, flying straight toward the camera — Allen’s Hummingbird Takes Off

Flying Up

An Anna's Hummingbird perches, looking up — Anna’s Hummingbird Perches

A hummingbird takes off from its perch — Anna’s Hummingbird Takes Off

And maybe this Anna’s Hummingbird had a strategy – look at the position of the twig in the second shot. It is slightly higher than when the hummingbird was on it.

We have noticed that a hummingbird will sometimes perch on a small twig that springs back as the bird takes off. Maybe a little extra boost on launch?

Back to hummingbird pictures blog or home.

Cold Hummingbird

It’s cold outside, and the hummingbirds feel it. Like other birds, a cold hummingbird fluffs its feathers to keep warm. The fluffed feathers trap warm air from the hummingbird’s body. This male Anna’s Hummingbird is perching so that his fluffed feathers also cover his feet.

We also notice that our resident Anna’s Hummingbirds always seem a little more round during the winter. They obviously gain weight. A layer of fat is good insulation and a good source of emergency energy.

We have not seen any hummingbirds in torpor here. But sometimes a cold hummingbird will sit on the feeder for a long time, not drinking, not looking around, just spacing out.

If you have hummingbirds over this winter, here is post about helping hummingbirds in cold weather by Sheri Williamson, author of a Field Guide to the Hummingbirds of North America (this book is one of our favorite guides – our hummingbird gift ideas shows more of our favorite resources).

Happy winter and stay warm!

Back to the hummingbird pictures blog or home.

Hummingbird Can’t Wait

During migration, the feeders can get very crowded. Sometimes the hummingbirds wait their turn, hovering behind the feeder until a port opens up. On occasion, they share ports side by side. Sometimes they attack each other from behind or from the side. It appears very stressful for the birds.

This Hummingbird Can’t Wait

This hummingbird doesn’t hit the hummingbird on the perch from behind. The perched hummingbird does not flush off. But the hovering hummingbird can’t wait. It balances on the head of the perched bird and reaches over to feed.