lucky shot

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Ruby-throated hummingbirds cannot exist on nectar, sugar-water alone. Like you and I, they need fats and protein. Sugary soft drinks may give us a boost, but in the end, we need that ham and cheese sandwich or we crash and burn, an unfortunate turn of phrase for a hummingbird soon to be flying across the Gulf of Mexico to Central America.

In truth, hummers eat a lot of insects, lots, umpteens, beaucoups, oodles and oodles. Up to a 1/4 of their own body weight every day. (That's like me eating 50 pounds of prime rib daily.) And as the weather chills and the insects disappear, hummingbirds, the smallest of the warm-blooded animals, have to fly south for their munchies.

My friend Wayne Mallinger did not see the insect when he first snapped the photo of the young migrating male ruby-throat a few years ago. It was only later when he reviewed his images did the wonder of the photo present itself.

This one could be captioned:

"Oh boy. A snack!"

Amazing, amazing photo by Wayne Mallinger.

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