Ruby-throated hummingbird « 1 989 Robert a Tyrreii 



Hummingbirds: 



Their Life and Beliavior 



Robert A. Tyrrell and Esther Quesada Tyrrell 

 Photographer and Author 



Sunday, March 12, 1:30pm 



Most of them are less than three inches long and weigh less 

 than a penny. Among the most acrobatic of birds, they can fly 

 forward, backward, upside down, and hover. Their tiny wings 

 can beat as fast as 80 times a second. They have such romantic 

 names as Sappho comet, adorable coquette, and collared 

 Inca. They are the flying jewels of the Trochilidae family: the 

 hummingbirds. 



Hummingbirds are among the most difficult birds to capture 

 on film. Their tiny stature and rapid movement have eluded 

 photographers for years. With the help of engineering experts 

 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, photographer 

 Robert Tyrrell has mastered the high-speed photography re- 

 quired to stop these tiny creatures in action. He is considered 

 the world's foremost photographer of hummingbirds. 



In a slide-lecture presentation, based on their highly 

 acclaimed book. Hummingbirds: Ttieir Life and Behavior, the 



Tyrrells present the brilliant world of hummingbirds. Using 

 Robert's slides, Esther Tyrrell discusses aerial dynamics, plu- 

 mage, food, courtship, aggression, and nesting, while focusing 

 on the 1 6 North American species. She also looks at the difficul- 

 ties encountered in photographing hummingbirds. As Robert 

 says, "The largest problem I encountered was 'stopping' their 

 wings. Not only because of their whirring, but also because the 

 shimmering, iridescent feathers can change color and lose their 

 luster if not photographed from the precise angle." The lecture 

 continues with discussions of the role of the hummingbird in Na- 

 tive American ritual, art and legend. 



Share the Tyrrells' experiences of tracking and "shooting" 

 the birds, the trials of tidal waves, flowers blooming out of sea- 

 son, shifts in migration patterns, and the triumph of a completed 

 project. 



LL89101 Hummingbirds; Their Life and Behavior 

 Tickets: $6 ($4 members) 



Please use the coupon p 4 



