Hummer Series-Anna's Hummingbirds

"Looking for love"- 5" x 5" acrylic- Anna's Hummingbird male

As many of you know, hummingbirds are some of my favorite birds. I love their iridescent colors and feisty personalities. Since they are at the peak of spring migration right now and visiting the feeders in my yard, I thought it would be a great time to do some paintings of them.

 

"Looking for love, too!" - 5"x 5" acrylic - Anna's hummingbird female

I have decided to do a series of eight small format paintings featuring the male and female of the four most common species here in the Northwest. I felt I needed some smaller, more affordable pieces for my show and these will all be 5" x 5" in size. I also felt it was important to include the female of each species. Though nowhere near the brilliant colors of the males, the females are no less beautiful. Many still have iridescent colors though they are more subtle. It's an adaption as with most birds to protect them while nesting by helping them blend in to their surroundings.

 

The first in this series is the Anna's hummingbird. While they are more common along the coasts of California to Washington, they are beginning to move further inland and so we are starting to see them more often on the eastern sides of Washington and Oregon and into Idaho as well. These are usually the hummingbirds I see at my feeders in November and December and what a delight they are to see in those winter months!

 

The next in the series will be a pair of rufous hummingbirds, followed by black-chinned hummers and finishing up with Calliope. So keep a close watch on this site as you won't want to miss them!