View allAll Photos Tagged Hummingbird
Just started getting some hummers coming up today. My first attempt at capturing one but as you can see didn't do too good a job. I was using a 70-300 lens on this one. I also tried a 24-135 but didn't get any better results. I am up for any suggestions on how to get a decent shot of the birds.
I was messing around in the garden, using an extension tube with my inexpensive 50mm lens to take macro shots. After awhile, a hummingbird showed up, so I took the tube off my lens and proceeded with a mostly futile attempt to capture an image of the little speed freak. I forgot that my camera was set on a slow shutter speed, so most of the shots I took were crap. I think I got 2 good ones out of about 60 shots *after* I remembered to adjust the shutter speed. Doh!
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fly straight and fast but can stop instantly, hover, and adjust their position up, down, or backwards with exquisite control. They often visit hummingbird feeders and tube-shaped flowers and defend these food sources against others. You may also see them plucking tiny insects from the air or from spider webs.
I really like this photo. We moved the feeder to a lower position, hanging off our deck planter; it was dusk, so I grabbed my flash, bounced it off the ceiling of our deck; caught this little guy coming in, wings pointing straight up!
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
November 9th, 2015
Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Canyon, Arizona
Canon 70D, 400 5.6L
rubythroat hummingbird migration, Houston, Texas, Fall 2005
Notice the little tuft of feathers on the back of his head where another hummer told him, emphatically, that his turn at the sugar water bar was up.
This angle doesn't show the full potential of the bird, I am only including it as an example of the incredible difference lighting angle can make when it comes to hummingbirds!
Restaurante La Georgina
Cerro de la Muerte, Costa Rica
8/19/14
Visiting Arizona in March provides plenty of opportunities to photograph hummingbirds. This Black-chinned male is a cousin of our Ruby-throated.
Range: North, Central, and South America
Habitat: Wide variety of habitats, from sea level up to 16,500 feet (5,000 meters)
Little birds with big appeal
Hummingbirds include the smallest birds in the world, but they belong to one of the largest group of birds, the Trochilidae family. These enchanting birds are found in deserts, mountains, and plains, but most live in tropical rain forests. Their name refers to the humming sound made by their tiny, beating wings; each species creates a different humming sound, depending on the speed of its wing beats. In the Caribbean, people call the hummingbird el zunzun. These energetic dynamos have been around for ages; hummingbird fossils found in Germany are said to be more than 30 million years old.
There are 328 hummingbird species. The smallest is the bee hummingbird from Cuba, and the largest is the giant hummingbird from South America. Hummingbird bills come in different sizes and shapes, too. The long, slender bill is adapted to collect nectar from flowers. The bill protects the long, split tongue and allows each hummingbird species to feed from specific types of flowers. Hummingbirds are called nectivores, because about 90 percent of their diet is the nectar from flowers. They also snack on insects, which they often catch by “hawking.” A hummingbird “hawks” insects by flying and diving to snap them up out of the air.