View allAll Photos Tagged RubyThroatedHummingbirds
Installed a new Hummingbird feeder in the backyard this weekend and immediately the male youth showed up. Set up my camera and a way we went. I want to get a shot of his wings stopped in midair. Because we are having a wet summer this years there haven’t seen many bright days for high speed shots. Hope for sunshine today.
The remaining 3 hummers spend their days constantly chittering and chasing each other and drinking from the feeders. They were almost hitting me in the head a few times today because they are so desperate to keep each other from the nectar. It's like they don't want to take a break either. All of these were taken as soon as they landed because they'd be up chasing again within seconds!
Every year they do this just before they start their journey's to Mexico and Central America. I will miss the grouchy little buggers;)
This is a juvenile male who seems quite unconcerned that I'm sitting 6 feet from him. Hand-held shot at 200mm, ambient light only with the 5D Mark II.
Here's his father from the same shoot:
Leucistic Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. I can't believe it! I was on the phone looking out at the garden and this little guy stopped by! Wow!
A few photos of a young male Ruby Throated Hummingbird sporting his first few ruby feathers in his throat
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have many skeletal and flight muscle adaptations which allow the bird great agility in flight. Muscles make up 25-30% of their body weight, and they have long, bladelike wings that, unlike the wings of other birds, connect to the body only from the shoulder joint. This adaptation allows the wing to rotate almost 180°, enabling the bird to fly not only forward but also straight up and down, sideways, and backwards, and to hover in front of flowers as it feeds on nectar and insects.
During hovering, ruby-throated hummingbird wings beat 55x/sec, 61x/sec when moving backwards, and at least 75x/sec when moving forward.
This Ruby-throated Hummingbird was enjoying the sun. Preening and relaxing with a little stretching thrown in for good measure.
Very challenging. It took about 30 shots to get a few keepers. This is the best one. Would have been nice to have the flower in the shot but hey lucky to have the eye in focus;-)
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have many skeletal and flight muscle adaptations which allow the bird great agility in flight. Muscles make up 25-30% of their body weight, and they have long, bladelike wings that, unlike the wings of other birds, connect to the body only from the shoulder joint. This adaptation allows the wing to rotate almost 180°, enabling the bird to fly not only forward but also straight up and down, sideways, and backwards, and to hover in front of flowers as it feeds on nectar and insects.
During hovering, ruby-throated hummingbird wings beat 55x/sec, 61x/sec when moving backwards, and at least 75x/sec when moving forward.