Well, I finally got some photos of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird family that visits us each day. The first photo is the female. I just love her little toes!

We were really laughing at some of her antics. There’s a ceramic wind chime hanging up on the patio that has small green birds dangling from the strings. Well, she was really buzzing around them for about a minute. I wonder if she thought they were other hummingbirds! Probably not, but we got a kick out of it anyway :)

Here are some photos of the male and female in relatively the same poses, so that you can see the difference. The male has the ruby-red throat, and the female has a white throat and a small white patch just behind her eye.

These next photos show them hovering over the feeder. Their wings move so fast I couldn’t even capture them with my camera (sounds like a great excuse to get a better camera :)

We got this feeder at Lowe’s for less than five bucks, and we fill it with a one-part table sugar, four-parts water mixture. So for a very low price, we get alot of enjoyment watching these little ones. They have never come to feed at the same time (maybe one of them is back at the nest “babysitting”). I think it would be great if they raised a family here :)

One of the most often seen birds on the beach in Cancun, Mexico is the Laughing Gull. Here is one of my favorite photographs:

The most interesting thing about these gulls is that during the summer, their head is completely black. But since we were there in December, the best I can do is offer this link to show you what I’m talking about:

Laughing Gull Information and Photo

I think they are beautiful, albeit monochromatic, birds no matter what season it is. They were mild-mannered for the most part, and didn’t seem to mind us being so close, which led to some nice opportunities for closeup photos:

Aside from eating, they were mostly occupied with socializing and grooming themselves…

…and since they stood looking out at the ocean while they were doing it, the majority of my pictures are of their backsides! :)

When we went to Cancun, Mexico in December 2008, I hadn’t yet developed a serious interest in birdwatching. But I couldn’t help but be fascinated by these black birds that seemed to be everywhere in the resort. In the right light, their color seemed to change from black to a purplish green. And their eyes are bright yellow!

As I later found out, these are Great-Tailed Grackles. Sometimes they gathered in groups…

…and sometimes they went for a swim…

We had a great time watching their antics (and also watching as they cleaned up after any guests who left their food unattended for more than a minute!)

In December 2008 we went on vacation to Cancun, Mexico. We stayed at the Moon Palace Resort, which is where we ran into this little guy foraging for a snack…

He had a really comical walk…

Sometimes he would hang out with his gang, chasing waves and picking up chicks (literally!)

We really had a good time watching their shenanigans :)

Finally! One of the Blue Jays that visits our yard (I’ve seen three together) actually stayed still long enough for me to get a few pictures.

Ususally, he’ll yell as he’s getting ready to eat (presumably to clear the other birds away from the feeder), then swoop down to grab a seed or nut, then take off again with his bounty.

Sometimes, he’ll even take the seed and bang it on a tree branch or on one of our patio chairs to break it open.

I guess I was lucky that he took his time choosing his snack treat :) Hopefully, I’ll have the camera ready the next time the whole family comes for a meal.