Magic in the Air: Sunbirds

There is a magic in the air and I am not joking. This is the time of the year when most of the birds in the Northern Hemisphere put on the best of the plumages and show off. After all the breeding season for most of the birds is on. The males have to impress the females (nothing new I suppose). It may not be a known fact for many that in the Animal and the Bird kingdoms the word Beauty is more often than not related to Male and not the female - of course the exceptions are there but they are not the norm and few - far and in-between.

Purple Sunbird (Male)

Crimson Sunbird

You go around in my part of the world and one of the most common sounds and sights you will hear is of this small and a beautiful bird - Purple Sunbird. In and around Chandigarh (India) there are three sunbirds that are found - Purple Sunbird (Very Common), Crimson Sunbird (Common) and Fire-tailed Sunbird (Infrequent).

Crimson Sunbird

It has been no easy feat to picture these bird as it does not believe in staying put still even for a fraction of a second so when I got these opportunities when these birds come calling for a photograph I just cannot resist setting aside any other bird that I am targeting to give all my attention to these bird. I am glad that out of the 100s of snaps that I fire in all - I get these one odd pictures

Crimson Sunbird with a spider (a high protein diet during breeding)

to my satisfaction - rest have been used to satisfy the hungry Thrash Box of my Mac. Here I am presenting some of the pictures that I have.

Fire-tailed Sunbird (File shot, not in Breeding Plumage)