White flashes on the tail of an almost completely black bird is hovering in the air. Not far from me, a hummingbird is feeding on a nectar stick. The ornitologist and German naturalist Helmut Sick described the Black Jacobin (Florisuga fusca) as abundant and the most frequent species of hummingbird in Macai de Cima (or Macaé de Cima), near Nova Friburgo in the state Rio de Janeiro.
After my 2nd visit to to the Itatiaia NP near the village of Penedo, district of Itatiaia (RJ), I would like to say that the abundance of this hummingbird species in the Rio de Janeiro summer can be observed here in “little Finlandia”, and it is also known that this is a quiet and funny place – here where is located a Finnish colony inside Brazil.
In the central plague of Penedo, one of the Black Jacobins soon presented himself to welcome. It was literally within reach of the hand, resting on a Mexican white cedar (Cupressus lusitanica) adorned with Christmas lights to feed and hydrate at one of the feeders of the shop in the park, then returning to the original branch.
Sometimes it was impuded by another male of Black Jacobin, never yielding and remaining firm in the demarcation of the territory.
But it was in the excellent restaurant Vernissage that I finally convinced myself of the abundance of the hummingbird in the summer of Penedo. The restaurant is also an art gallery, its windows are facing the Rio das Pedras and the placement of drinking fountains for the birds usually attracts a large number of frogs. It’s not uncommon for them to crack a few inches from our heads!
The first two times I’ve been there, both in the spring period, I was even touched by their proximity, but the one who dominated the scene was the Violet-capped Woodnymph (Thalurania glaucopis). Now it will not be seen until just one individual appeared, with its dizzying skill, which was even more appreciated by the flash of my camera. After a while, only Black Jacobins and the fountains of the restaurant, were present at this time. Eventually they rested on a branch for some time, which allowed me to photograph them with some ease. To shot hummingbirds in flight is a bit tricky.
As in the photo that starts the post, I got more of that record of the elegant hummingbird, a few meters from one of the feeders. With this brief comment, I believe that the reader, with a piece of luck, will know exactly when and where to find Black Jacobins in the state of Rio. Black Jacobins in abundance, free in nature and within reach of the hand, at least as far as the action is concerned.
Penedo is a district in the Itatiaia municipality, located in the southern region of Rio de Janeiro state, in Brazil. It is the first Finnish colony in Brazil, and some Finnish influence can still be noticed in some houses.
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer species of the Palearctic Bird-Lens is keen to enrich the range of pictures of birds you can find mainly in the Western Palearctic – but not only. Trips to remote places to capture images of rare birds were very successful. The nice images of the blog is only a first impression, what you will find in the gallery in the “Picture Shop” very soon. Just give me a message, if bird-lens.com could serve you with an image needed before the new pictures are online.