Picture of the Day - October 9, 2009

"Little whirr of wings"

Photo courtesy of Juanita L. Ruffner.                (Click on the photo for a larger view) A hummingbird flittering about a feeder or "working" on a flower blossom is one of the surest signs of summer, and its yearly migration southward is one of the most sobering signals that winter is on its way. In my humble opinion these little marvels of aviation are among the Creator's most precious gifts. Photographer Juanita L. Ruffner captured this little guy as he was moving in to gather some nectar from the succulent blossoms of a morning glory vine (which happens to be another sure sign of summer). Here is her story behind the image: "It's October and our hummingbirds leave about mid-September. I miss their little whirr of wings and their darting around in the garden already. This photo was taken in August when it was sunny, bright and warm. The morning glories are in their best suits...as the temps go lower, the morning glories bloom smaller and less... the flower season seems too short..."   --Juanita L. Ruffner Here are the camera and settings used to capture this image: Camera: Nikon D40 Focal length: 300mm Shutter speed: 1/500 sec Aperture: f/10 ISO: 560   Visitor Comments... Name: Fern Williams Town: Louisville, KY Happiness for me is sitting on my front porch watching the hummingbirds visit my feeders. I love this photo!     Name: Janice Woolsey Town: Duluth, MN Super!     Name: Gordon Brugman Town: Gatlinburg, TN Wonderful image, Juanita. Those little speed demons are not an easy capture as they dart from flower to flower. You’ve not only stopped this little hummer in its tracks, but managed some nice composition as well. Great job!     Name: Phyllis Helton Town: Bristol, VA It’s hard to capture a humming bird. Great job!     Name: Thomas Feingold Town: Albuquerque, NM You did a fantastic job with this photo Ms. Ruffner. Petty close to perfect in my opinion.   Comment on today's picture  |  View previous "Pictures Of The Day"  |  Submit a photo Why I publish the "Picture Of The Day"