{"id":19859,"date":"2015-02-09T05:40:46","date_gmt":"2015-02-09T12:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=19859"},"modified":"2025-09-19T19:25:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T00:25:24","slug":"hovering-rufous-hummingbird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/02\/09\/hovering-rufous-hummingbird\/","title":{"rendered":"Hovering Rufous Hummingbird"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HoveringHovering Rufous Hummingbird – Nikon D300, f6.3, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

For those of us who love winter, the snow it brings and the birds that typically are found in abundance in northern Utah during the coldest months of the year this winter has been a flop.<\/p>\n

The winter that wasn’t. Our lows have been higher than the “normal” highs and our highs are more typical of later in March than February.<\/p>\n

It is odd. And a bit frightening.<\/p>\n

I can’t help but think of the birds I will see later in the year like this Rufous Hummingbird I photographed last August on Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

But I can’t help but wonder if these warmer than normal temperatures will continue throughout the rest of this year and how that will affect the birds.<\/p>\n

August is hot here any way but if it is hotter than normal will the Rocky Mountain Bee Plant and other nectar producing flowers die or wither away before the hummingbirds migrate through?<\/p>\n

These warmer than normal winter temperatures aren’t just affecting Utah these temperatures are affecting states further north all the way to Glacier National Park in Montana and beyond.<\/p>\n

It is odd. It is frightening and I am concerned.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my flower, shrub and tree photos. Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Rufous Hummingbird photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I can’t help but think of the birds I will see later in the year like this Rufous Hummingbird I photographed last August on Antelope Island State Park.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":156968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,2629,26,5347],"tags":[4004,12222,3981,4052,4122,4174,6043,2652,5064,4444,2631,2630,4307],"class_list":["post-19859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-rufous-hummingbirds","category-utah","category-wildflowers","tag-adult","tag-cleomella-serrulata","tag-davis-county","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-hovering-2","tag-hummingbird","tag-hummingbirds-2","tag-pink-wildflowers","tag-rocky-mountain-bee-plant","tag-rufous-hummingbird","tag-selasphorus-rufus","tag-wildflowers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rufous-hummingbird-flight-mia-mcpherson-5775.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-5aj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":94426,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/09\/04\/rufous-hummingbird-for-national-hummingbird-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":19859,"position":0},"title":"Rufous Hummingbird For National Hummingbird Day","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Today is National Hummingbird Day and I am celebrating by sharing some Rufous Hummingbird photos I took earlier this week on Antelope Island.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rufous Hummingbird, bee plant and ants, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rufous-hummingbird-smoky-day-mia-mcpherson-7772.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rufous-hummingbird-smoky-day-mia-mcpherson-7772.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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plus some of the rising sun.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rufous Hummingbird tail flare, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rufous-hummingbird-female-immature-bee-plant-mia-mcpherson-9338.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rufous-hummingbird-female-immature-bee-plant-mia-mcpherson-9338.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rufous-hummingbird-female-immature-bee-plant-mia-mcpherson-9338.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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