Ruby-throated Hummingbirds

It's difficult to pick a favorite but of the hummingbird photos I have captured this one of a female visiting the canna lily bloom is my favorite.  If you haven't already visit my earlier posts from last week to see other captures of these diminutive birds in flight.

Unsuccessfully attempting to capture a mature male flashing his brilliant throat patch I did manage to photograph this immature male; note the two red spots of the birds throat.  As noted by fellow blogger Tom Dorsey the males throat patch can appear black one moment and a bright iridescent red the next.   

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Hummingbird Photos: How its Done

Yesterday I posted photos of female/immature Ruby-throated Hummingbirds with the promise of following with a post of how it's done.  Photographing a hummer at a flower brings with it the problem of how to get the birds coming to the one flower where you are set up.  Trying to chase these little speedsters around while they go from flower to flower would be a futile effort.

The setup began with a red Canna Lily placed in a mason jar set in a well lighted location.  Hummers are attracted more so to red than to any other color.

Spritzing the flowers with sugar water added to the photographic appeal of the flowers and made the flowers irresistible to the tiny birds.  Occasional spritzing throughout the shoot kept the flowers fresh and inviting. 

After giving the hummers a couple of hours to find my single flower it was time to set up and begin shooting.  Using the Canon 60D and 100-400mm lens at nearly minimum focus distance gave an acceptable image size.  All photos were shot at ISO 500 and F5.6 in order to achieve a shutter speed of between 1/1500 to 1/3000.  Even at 1/3000 the shutter was not fast enough to completely stop the rapid wing beats.

Below are more shots of these incredibly agile little birds.  Enjoy! 

Hummer Heaven

Yesterday while doing chores around the house I noticed a Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding at a Day Lilly.  The sighting reminded me that I did not have any good hummingbird photos in my archives that really pleased me.  Since I had the majority of the afternoon free I decided to attempt to remedy my image deficit.

Good Hummingbird images taken at a well placed feeder are certainly nothing to be sneezed at but with my goal of capturing wildlife in a natural setting I had no choice but to attempt to capture the hummers feeding on flowers.

The following images are a few of the better shots from the afternoon's photo shoot.  

Note the hummers clear tongue extended into the flower

In a later post I will give the details on the setup that produced these outstanding results but for now enjoy the tiny but magnificent acrobat of the sky, the Ruby-throated  Hummingbird.

Camera Critters: Humming.......

As quickly as it arrived, a female Hummingbird prepares to leave her perch.

With my brothers family enjoying their visit to Yellowstone, I have been raiding their hummingbird feeding station for images.

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Close-up: Hummingbird

Of all the bird species to photograph up close there is none easier than the hummingbird if one does some preparation. All that is needed is a feeder and a well lit perch. Capturing these birds in mid-air is another thing altogether!

Hummer with a ‘Tude

When my wife viewed this image for the first time she exclaimed “that hummer has a ‘tude”.

I must agree with her, this Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird does not appear to appreciate being the subject of a Country Capture!