Hummingbird's favorite evening perch

The local Anna's hummingbirds have a favorite perch where they absorb the warmth of the late afternoon sun, and from where at sunset they easily spot flying insects for an evening meal.

The perch is a blackberry vine that dried up last year, but is strong enough to support the weight of tiny birds.

There is always just one hummingbird sitting on the vine, and I am sure that it's not always the same bird. Often they sing, and sometimes, if it is a female, is wooed by male hummingbirds who fly high into the air, then swoop down in an arc just above the female.

When the sitting hummingbird notices an insect flying by, it flies straight up in the air, like a helicopter. It catches the insect, eats it, then lands right back on the blackberry vine.