Regardless of how many times one has either read about, watched video footage of, or (best of all) observed them in the wild, the sheer awe and wonder hummingbirds inspire never seems to diminish; even the most commonly seen species visiting the most ubiquitous backyard nectar feeder is a perpetual source of momentary magic as it swoops and dives, perches briefly and then darts straight away on to its next source of nectar. So when I heard that PBS Nature was planning to premiere a new episode entirely devoted to hummingbirds this month, I full expected that it would be a program not to be missed – and after viewing a copy most kindly sent to me by the good people at Thirteen/WNET my expectations were more than fulfilled.
True to Nature’s classic style of the presentation of natural history in a manner that is at once both visually appealing as well as wholly intelligible to all from the novice to the experienced naturalist, Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air is a superb work of cinematic natural history. Using a combination of normal as well as high speed video, Nature’s producers have assembled a superb overview of most every aspect of hummingbird biology and behavior. Viewers will be treated to a wide variety of the world’s hummingbird species engaged in feeding, courtship, territorial defense, and just about every other behavior that these little flying jewels exhibit. In addition to this, some remarkable new discoveries about particular species are presented that will likely surprise even experienced hummingbird enthusiasts (the one about the tail feathers of the Anna’s Hummingbird came as the greatest surprise to me).
Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air premieres Sunday, January 10th, 2010. Check your local listings for specific times and channels.
(Image of White-necked Jacobin © 2010 WNET.ORG.)
