Posts in Category: hummingbird
Costa Rica! Violet is the color
Violet Saberwing Hummingbird: Mirador ye Soda Cinchona, San Jose, Costa Rica, December 2024 — The Violet Saberwing is among the largest hummingbirds in Central America, and in the world. Surprisingly it does not dominate the feeders where other species overlap, which is almost everywhere in its range. It is a bird of the foothills and mountains of Costa Rica. There is noting to match its deep rich iridescent purples or the flash of its white tail. Again, these shots were on our rainy afternoon on the deck in Cinchona. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii at 600, 423, 474mm equivalents. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Costa Rica! Brilliant!
Green-crowned Brilliant Hummingbird: Mirador ye Soda Cinchona, San Jose, Costa Rica, December 2024 — The whole family…an adult female, immature male, and two shots of the adult male. They were never in sight all at the same time, but in 90 minutes on the deck at the Soda in Cinchona, we saw all three. The females were by far the most numerous, everywhere in the bushes around the deck, I did not identify the immature male for what it was until later that evening, and we did not see the male until we were packing up to go, but see them all we did. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii at 600mm equivalent for all but the full body shot of the male, which was at 471mm. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Wild Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: York County, Maine, USA, August 2024 — Until this year I would have said that encountering Ruby-throated Hummingbirds away from any feeder, in the wild, was very rare. This summer I have had half a dozen encounters, and gotten photos in two of them. The problem with wild sightings is that, without a feeder to keep them close and coming back, you only have seconds to react…to get the camera up and get off a burst or two of shots before the hummingbird is off to find fresh flowers. And of course, around a feeder you are “primed” for hummers…ready both physically and psychologically to capture the action. Just out on a stroll, seeing what you can see, it is much more difficult to snap to focus and snap the photos. And, of course, it is a testament to how well bird recognition, eye-tracking auto focus works that any of these chance encounters result in focused images. 🙂 Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife and action and flight modifications. (I switched between the two shots…so these are shots from two different bursts…on is at 1/500th and one is at 1/2000th. Can you tell which is which?) Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Stretch
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: York County Maine, USA, August 2024 — We have a couple of migrant Ruby-throats dominating our feeders the past few days. I caught this young male stretching in the low level light of late afternoon. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. -1 ev. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Hummer at the fuchsia
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (immature male): York County, Maine, USA, August 2024 — The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are coming back south down the coast and we have, as I noted a few days ago, a young male that is attempting to dominate the feeder. At the beginning of the summer we hung a fuchsia plant next to the feeder, on the advice of a friend who gets lots of hummers visiting the flowers. We have watched all summer, and this new young male is the first to do so on a regular basis. These images are early morning shots, on a cloudy day, so the light was less than optimal, especially for the high shutter speeds I wanted for the hummer, but still. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my action and flight modifications. Animal/bird subject detection auto focus. ISO 12,800. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Ruler of the roost
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: York County, Maine, USA, August 2024 — Yesterday this immature male Ruby-throated Hummingbird showed up in our yard, and promptly took ownership of the hummingbird feeder…fending off our local male and female, and even the Chipping Sparrows who use the seed feeder near by. Feisty and determined. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 600mm equivalent in low light. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Animal/bird subject recognition auto focus. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Chance encounter
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: York County, Maine, USA, July 2024 — So I don’t really believe in chance, but I am always surprised to find a hummingbird away from our back-deck feeder…in the wild, so to speak. I forget that hummingbirds got along just fine before humans began to feed them. This female Ruby-throated Hummingbird was harvesting nectar from the jewelweed along a trail I visit on occasion, and it cooperated for a few photos. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my flight and action modifications. Animal/Bird subject detection auto focus. Processed in Photomator.
New Mexico! Intension
Black-chinned Hummingbird: Randall Davey Audubon Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 2024 — The western counterpart of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird we get in Maine, the Black-chinned Hummingbird is energetic and graceful. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my evolving action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
New Mexico! Tail on
Broad-tailed Hummingbird: Randall Davey Audubon Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, July 2024 — Tail on and almost too close, but who could resist? Also pretty dark in the corner against the building in the garden at Randall Davey Audubon Center. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my evolving bird and wildlife action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
New Mexico! Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird: Randall Davey Audubon Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA — Not the best light, sitting in deep shade with an adobe building in the background, but still, sitting, and close. One of the more common hummingbirds at the feeders at Randall Davey Audubon in the hills above Santa Fe. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my evolving bird modifications (1/500th). Processed in Photomator.