Ruby throated Hummingbird Gorget

We put a new hummingbird feeder up at work and within a day there were two male hummers fighting over it. One of them came to a rest on the wooden railing outside our volunteer lounge and I was able to take these shots. I love how the ruby red gorget only appears when the angle is just right with respect to the sun.

Incidentally, where on Earth does a word like gorget come from? It turns out that a gorget is a collar made of a leather or steel that protects one's neck. They are common on suits of armor. The word itself is from the Old or Middle French "gorge" meaning simply "throat."



~Kirk