Bird Watching

Yesterday afternoon, in the last few minutes of my shift at work, I stepped outside to take a few pictures of the early evening light and leaves. 

The seaspray and dust filtering through the sunbeams made the sunlight seem somehow substantial. While playing with the camera, I saw a small bird, about two inches long, that looked almost like a jay, but in miniature. It moved like a hummingbird, making photography difficult, and because of the light conditions, I couldn't see what color it was.

Still, the sighting of a fairly colorful bird was pretty exciting. Most of the birds I've seen here look roughly like a cowbird. They're all medium-sized, and dun-colored with slightly different dark markings. So this purplish-looking mini-jay was something new and different. After consultation with my father, and a bit of research, I believe what I saw was an Antillean Crested Hummingbird. 

While trying to figure out what I saw yesterday, I learned what a wide variety of colorful birds make their home in the British Virgin Islands. Perhaps a bird watching expedition will be in order this Sunday or next.