Sitting down at my desk as the sun rises on a quiet coastal morning, a female Costa’s Hummingbird hovers outside my window, so close that I can almost touch it.

My camera is inches from my hand, but I stop, realizing that I’d scare her off with a sudden move.

So I just enjoy the moment, the tiny creature hovering just beneath the sun-dappled fronds of the palm, and time stands still.