Hummingbird takes a break on a burnt tree

A pretty interesting image, I think, of one of the forest’s smallest residents hanging out on the some of the remnants of a massive wildfire.

These little guys are usually one the move but I was able to capture this female rufous hummingbird when it stopped briefly, allowing me to get her portrait. She was posing on a four-foot-high pine tree that was charred by the East Troublesome Fire last October.

Somewhat a sad scene but, the hummingbirds were more numerous than we have ever seen them in the area. With the trees gone, the sun was reaching areas of the forest floor that previously would have been shaded the majority of the day. This allowed the wildflowers to flourish and the hummingbirds were definitely taking advantage of it.