Fiery-throated and Lesser Violet Ear Hummingbirds, Paraiso Quetzal Lodge, Costa Rica — I have never seen such a concentration of Fiery-throated Hummingbirds as we encountered at our lunch stop at Paraiso Quetzal Lodge just of the PanAm Highway in the Talamanca Mountains south of San Jose, Costa Rica. And, of course, there were several other species typical of the high mountains there as well. These shots show off two species sharing a perch…the Fiery-throated in the foreground and the Lesser Violet Ear in the back…odd in itself, and a good indicator of just how dense the hummers were…as both of these species are dominators…defending feeding areas aggressively. At the most this was a temporary cease-fire…like the Christmas truces of the World Wars. And appropriate to the day today, as their delicate beauty encasing fearless hearts would make a fitting ornament for any Christmas Tree. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 1000 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Though these birds were close, you will notice that I had to shift focus to get them both.