I’d read that hummingbirds are capable of flying upside down, but I never thought I’d document it in photos.
Earlier this month this Rufous Hummingbird was frustrating me because it kept landing and burying its head in the trumpet vine flowers instead of feeding while still in flight. I didn’t need any more headless butt shots like this one.
So I tried to time a shot taken immediately after the hummer backed out of the flower.
This is what I got in the very next photo. The hummer had rotated its body 180° so it was completely upside down in flight. I can only guess at its motivation for doing so but it’s something I’d never seen before, much less documented in photos.
However, the birds head was still right side up and nearly level – a pretty neat trick.
I have no idea how long the hummer stayed upside down. In the next shot in the burst the bird was completely out of frame, so I suspect this unusual flight maneuver was a preliminary to a burst of speed.
Yes, I wish the birds head was sharper in that last photo but I’m still glad to have it.
Ron
And my next trick is______. I bet you try and catch that little bird doing the flying again. Yes you should send the photo to Birds Magazine or what ever it is called, or enter a contest!
That’s a helluva shot — on both your parts!
Thanks, Marty.
AMAZING! You do excellent work! Thanks for sharing.
Glad you think so, Judy. Thanks.
Brilliant! Never seen a shot like this and so glad you got it!
Thanks, Burrdoo. Me too.
Whoa! I’d say “pretty neat trick” is an understatement! What an incredible shot … better submit to Cornell for its annals of amazing bird abilities! I watch the Allen’s and Anna’s in my yard quite a bit—especially when they’re displaying their diving-from-great-heights skills. I’m pretty sure I’ve not yet seen one flying upside down or backwards, but I keep hoping! 😊
Thanks, Chris. I’ve seen hummers flying backwards quite a few times but in a photo it just looks like normal hummingbird flight.
She knew you were watching , she’s just showing off .
Laurel, that’s a skill that deserves to be shown off.
Amazing!!! Great shots Ron 😀
Thanks, Kathleen.
That is amazing that they can do that and also that you could
get a shot of it happening. We have hummers flying around the backyard all day and I don’t believe I have ever seen one flying
upside down, but then I don’t really spend much time watching them fly. Will have to pay more attention and especially when they are leaving a feeder etc.
“I don’t believe I have ever seen one flying upside down”
This was the first time for me, Everett. But then it can happen so fast it would be easy to miss.
WOW! That is some trick! A “keeper” even if fuzzy…….. 🙂
Yard definitely “labor day quiet” now and some of the cottonwoods are showing signs of turning already!
Thanks, Judy. Some of our leaves in the mountains are turning already, as of three days ago. Not many but a few.
I almost hear the hummer say “And for my next trick….”. We’ll captured, Ron!
Thanks, Diane.
Amazing!
I have been switching back and forth between the two shots wondering 1) how the heck that bird – one that preferred land rather than hover to forage – managed to get from the position in first photo and wind up in the position in the second photo, and 2) why was this this its preferred maneuver? I am befuddled. It all just seems so improbable.
I have been watching birds for decades and I never knew or saw such a thing. I suppose a big part of the reason is, as you experienced, it can happen in less than a blink of the eye. The fact that you caught it in a photo is nothing less than amazing.
Chance is always a factor. But I also think the ‘seek and you shall find’ principal plays a major part in this as well. It is when these two things come together that the magic happens. Your work in bird photography is one of the finest examples of these two factors coming together. Well done!
” I am befuddled.”
I know what you mean, Michael. I have to wonder if this unusual flight maneuver was the bird’s reaction to another hummer flying in to challenge this one. If it was, I didn’t see the other bird but with me looking through my viewfinder I’m not surprised.
“Pretty neat trick” indeed.
Makes my eyes water and my neck crack just to think of it.