Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds
Perched Portrait
Basked in gentle morning light, this juvenile (or adult female) Ruby-throated Hummingbird shows the faint emerald dusting on her crown while pausing on a maple twig near Lake Koshkonong. Her heart is likely racing at over 400 beats per minute even at rest, proof that a “quiet” moment is still high-octane in hummingbird terms.
License: Public Domain
Perfect match
Captured mid-air in front of native Red Honeysuckle blooms, this female lines up her needle-thin bill with the long tubular corolla built exactly for her tongue. A single bird can visit 1,000–2,000 flowers a day, sipping enough nectar to fuel those 3-gram engines.
License: Public Domain
Frozen in flight
A fast 1/4000-sec shutter freezes every contour while the wings still blur, hinting at the 50–80 beats per second that keep this tiny acrobat aloft. By early September birds like this will launch on a nonstop, 500-mile leap across the Gulf of Mexico during fall migration.
License: Public Domain
The ruby gorget
An adult male flaunts his gorget—the specialized, iridescent throat patch—that flashes fiery red only when the light hits the feathers just right. He’s guarding a backyard feeder, chasing away rivals every few minutes—territorial zeal that helps ensure he can double his weight before the long trip south.
License: Public Domain
Photo License: Public Domain
All of the nature and wildlife photographs on this page were taken by me at or around Lake Koshkonong. I’ve released every image into the public domain, which means you’re free to download, copy, modify, and use them for any purpose—personal or commercial—without asking permission or providing attribution. Enjoy them, share them, and let them inspire your own projects.