A female or immature ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) sitting within a large mandarin hat (Holmskioldia sanguinea) plant at the Castellow Hammock Preserve and Nature Center.
22301 SW 162nd Avenue, Miami, Florida: Sunday, 17 January 2021
part of the Castellow Hammock Preserve and Nature Center album
Even though I often see them visiting flowers on my property and have observed them elsewhere in the past, the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) has always been fast and elusive enough to avoid my camera. That finally changed during a recent visit to Castellow Hammock Preserve and Nature Center in agricultural and rural western Miami-Dade County. In the area for winter, the hummingbirds will stay until March and then fly back north for spring.
There were several individuals flying in and around a large mandarin hat (Holmskioldia sanguinea) plant in front of the visitor center building. As I looked inside the plant, I saw a female or immature hummingbird sitting on a branch. For nearly twenty seconds she sat there while I took ten photographs — much to my delight — six of which are decent and presented herein.
Although I did not get to hike the park's tropical hardwood forest trail due to the late hour, it was certainly worth the visit just to see and photo the hummingbirds up close.
