Back to Basics

At our home in the mountains of northwestern Arizona, we've been blessed to have seen five of the 14 hummingbird species known to visit the state.

We regularly see hummingbirds like Anna's, black-chinned, broad-tailed and rufous. Last fall, a single blue-throated hummingbird stopped by for a few days on its way south for winter. We quickly flipped through our bird guide and recognized the hummingbird right away.

As we spent time confirming its individual physical characteristics, we later realized we didn't take a moment to simply appreciate the bird's beauty. It's easy to fixate on details and forget about the rest.

After that encounter, I took this photo of a hummingbird at dusk. The silhouette of its proud form and long bill reminds me of the beauty all hummingbirds share. I don't even know what species this is, but it doesn't matter. I enjoy it just as it is.

—Susan Mather, Kingman, Arizona