Hummingbird Aggression

Who decides which ones bloom first?

About two-thirds of the way through our morning hike I noticed a male hummingbird displaying aggressive behavior toward another hummer, performing that aerial acrobatic act of flying high into the air and then swooping down to buzz the other male, continuing past and jetting into the air again before making the pendulum-swing dive bomb once more.  When Hummer #1 succeeded in chasing off the second male he perched on a branch and let me photograph him several times.  He soon started the aggressive behavior towards me, though, and I found it frighteningly exhilarating as he buzzed past me several times while I imagined him suddenly losing control and plunging into my forehead beak first like a dart into the bullseye of a dart board.

Getting an early start (before 7 a.m.)

Back in shadow once more

Strawberry Pitaya not fully awake

A huge Ocotillo and Torrey Yucca (left)

Senna

Mad Hatter cloud with a wisp of virga

Virga is rain that evaporates before reaching the ground

White-winged Dove eating Ocotillo buds

Long view across the desert to the Organ Mountains

Ocotillo flower

Ocotillo flower

Aliens from Mars

Actually they're Rain Lily seed pods

Ocotillos

Blackl-chinned Hummingbird

Catching a wink

Same Hummer, different angle

Strawberry Pitaya

When this old world starts getting me down . . . (Up on the roof)

One of our neighbors has a small observatory

Dr. K in a gardening mood