A Humm-Dinger!

The male Costa's hummingbird is a beautiful, little fellow.  Well, the book says it's common, but it's a first for me.

The purple-ish color is like a scarf, flaring of the sides of his neck.  The camera didn't change the color, though.  That's the color I saw, too.  One of the interesting things about this little guy is that his crown, which appears to be black here, shines purple in the sunlight, too.

When I saw him he zipped in and zipped out.  I think I'll call him Zippy!


I also caught a different hummer today, a Rufous, which has a copper colored body, so it was a tough choice.  But maybe I'll have another shot at him some other time.  It's almost time for them to migrate so I'd better plan on getting up to Madera Canyon soon.