Hummingbirds at Mohonk’s Garden

In early August 2025, my family and I spent a week at Mohonk Mountain House near New Paltz, NY—a historic Victorian castle resort surrounded by mountains, forests, and beautifully maintained gardens. One afternoon, while wandering through those gardens, I was met with an extraordinary sight: hummingbirds darting so fast and close that it felt like they might zip right past my face.

Normally, seeing one is like catching a flash of lightning—beautiful but fleeting, and nearly impossible to photograph. But here, with their numbers and fearless movement, I simply sat back, watched, and captured their beauty on camera.

Wandering among the show gardens—originally designed in the late 1800s by co-founder Albert Smiley, who valued beauty and health over profit—I found myself mesmerized by these tiny aerial acrobats. Hummingbirds flap their wings up to 80 times per second and can reach speeds over 60 miles per hour during courtship dives. Their hearts race at nearly 1,200 beats per minute, all fueled by the rich nectar of Mohonk’s blossoms.

Oh, wait… last photo is another bird we saw near Mohonk, this time in the woods. There was a group of pileated woodpeckers. It was dark and the birds were far from me. So I can share only one good picture (last picture in this gallery)