Video goodness: ‘Dancing’ hummingbird grooves to Al Green

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Birds love our backyard in Echo Park. It’s rife with an eclectic array of plants from fruit trees to cactus.

The other day, I was working in my office when I noticed a hummingbird darting about from the lantana to a bird of paradise to an orange tree and back. I got out my Canon still camera to try and capture a frame of the hummingbird in flight. I trained my lens on the bird as it rested on a wire, waiting for it to take off. But it didn’t take off. It sat on the wire, swaying back and forth and moving its head from side to side, as if dancing to an inner rhythm.

I went back into my office and grabbed my video camera. Darn it! The battery wasn’t charged. I sought out an extension cord, making sure the bird was still there and still dancing. It was.

For more than 7 minutes, I videotaped the tiny creature, watching it bounce and sway, and I started to hear soul music in my head. After it finally flew away, with the footage in my computer, I added just the right Al Green song, ‘I Feel Good,’ and it’s just like he’s dancing to the music.

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-- Pamela Wilson