Award Winning! "First Flight" received Special Prize of the Jury Award at Matsalu International Nature Film Festival
"Sometimes, the smallest thing can change your life..." one of the smallest birds in the world indeed changed the life of New York advertising photographers into the motion picture producers. Documenting the lucky finding of the tiny hummingbird's nest on the clothesline in their new home in Las Vegas, the Carrolls turned their photographs of Honey, the mother hummingbird and her little chicks into the best selling book of its kind (First Flight: A Mother Hummingbird's Story, Publisher, Andrews McMeel). The Carroll team spent an additional three years documenting Honey's life on HD video. Now this remarkable production is available on DVD. This charming 45 minute nature documentary invites you to witness personal life of hummingbirds, such as breathtaking moment of Honey laying her eggs and the tiny hatchlings Ray and Zen pecking themselves into a new life in stunning close-up photography.
Read Reviews...
What people are saying about this movie...
"In just a few magical moments, Honey, and a short while later, Ray and Zen captured my heart. You don't need to be an ornithologist or even a bird-watcher to enjoy this film. This unique and inspiring sequence of rare images will bring joy to the entire family who watch it. In fact, it is a truly a film about the importance of motherhood and family... from a very beautiful perspective."
— Gary W. Hall, M.D.
Vice President United States Olympians
"It is a lovely work, well designed and well executed. Noriko's narration is really charming. The hatching sequence is unique."
— Nancy L. Newfield
Author / Hummingbird Bander / Naturalist
casacolibri.net
"I just watched it, and WOW! I've seen 'em all, and this video gets my highest recommendation. Noriko and Don did the near-impossible, and I'm seriously impressed."
— Lanny Chambers
St. Louis, MO
hummingbirds.net
"Beautiful film. Out standing work. The best hummingbird video I've ever seen."
— Jesse Hendrix
Hummingbird King
"Fascinating, informative and beautifully filmed. As an ornithologist I was delighted to observe the hatching sequence in such detail; truly magical footage. First Flight is a film all ornithologists, students and backyard birders should experience."
— John Klicka, Ph. D.
Curator of Birds at the Marjorie Barrick Museum
University of Nevada Las Vegas
"Just received and watched your beautifully created DVD. What a smart and loving story to connect all hearts and minds to the wonder, power and fragility of life. The narration and videography are excellent. When I was watching the DVD and being drawn into Honey's story, I really felt like I was becoming part of her family. Afterwards I felt that age-old peace and oneness of realizing the universal reality that we really are one with each other and all living things. Plus, the "Making Of" extra with Noriko and Don is a great piece and almost as fascinating as the mother hummingbird's story itself. It will be at the top of our gift buying list for a long time. Thank you and congratulations on an amazing creative achievement!"
— Vince Fiorello
New Jersey
((( Article ))) Las Vegas View News— June 16, 2009
Capturing chicks' first flight
Mother hummingbird and offspring are stars of couple's new DVD
Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)
One of more than a dozen species of breeding hummingbirds within the continental United States, Black-chins are found from southern British Columbia throughout most of the Western United States and Mexico. Mexico is their favorite winter vacation spots.
Black-chins are small, weighing in about 3-3.5 grams. They are slender with a long fairly straight black bill, dull metallic bronze-green feathers on their back. The flanks are glossed with dull metallic green. Only the adult male has elegant purple band on lower throat, that appears black most of the time, but when the light hits the iridescent feathers, they sparkle like precious sapphires... Female is larger than male, chin and throat off-white and often spotted, the breast and belly dull white, dark tail feathers with white tips on the three outer feathers on each side. Juveniles are similar to adult female.
Hanging a feeder with 1:4 ratio of sugar and water, as well as planting nectar rich flowers in a garden helps attracting hummingbirds. In our backyard, lavender and salvia (sage) are their favorites.
If you see a hummingbird picking spider webs in your yard, she will be nesting somewhere near by...