Hummingbird Diving

On Sunday, Bing, Jess and I went for a 6 mile hike up and down the Montara Mountain / Brooks Creek trail in San Pedro Valley Park. Set in Pacifica, a small coastal town just south of San Francisco, the peak of Mt. Montara offers impressive 360 degree views of the Pacific Ocean to the west, Santa Cruz mountain range to the south, Mt. Diablo to the east, and Mt. Tamalpais to the north. (Unfortunately, I don't have any photographs. Just take my word for it, or hit the trail yourself on a clear day and see for yourself.)

The most interesting part of the trip, though, happened during the ascent. We noticed a tiny hummingbird repeatedly flying in a peculiar pattern: climbing 60 feet, then diving straight down kamikaze style before pulling back up at the last second. When we approached, the hummingbird continued its flight plan unaltered, just barely grazing the top of our heads. It must have repeated this flight plan over 15-20 times in the few minutes we stood watching.

After a brief internet search back home, I learned that we were witnessing a common sight along the coast of California during the early winter months. Anna's hummingbirds (spp. Calypte anna) begin nesting at this time, and males perform these dives as courtship displays to impress their potential female mates.

Interestingly, UC Berkeley researcher CJ Clark recently learned that the randy pilot flares its tail at the bottom of its dive, not only to prevent it crashing to the ground (with a force of 9 g's), but to create a loud chirping sound that attracts females.



Stop motion photography demonstrates the crazy things a little guy will do for a little love. Play on, playa, play on.