The last of the hummingbirdsare passing through my backyard this month. I happened to get a couple of great shots of some tiny, charming female calliopes buzzing around my rosemary plants. Because the rosemary is in a planter on deck railing, the photos are looking up slightly at the hummers.

I love to watch hummingbirds (Eyelashes and Hummingbirds, Hungry Hummer Can’t Wait), and calliopes are some of my favorites.

Calliopes breed in the Pacific Northwest, and winter in Mexico; there are no reported calliope nests in Colorado. That means that my backyard is just a pit stop in their travels.

According to Birds of North America (Birds of North America), calliope hummingbirds are the smallest migrating birds in the world.

Safe travels, little ones!