Daily Archives: May 10, 2021

Ruby-throated

Ruby-throated Hummingbird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — When you only have one species of hummingbird, you learn to appreciate what you have…and the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds we get here in Southern Maine are easy to appreciate. I know we have at least 2 coming to our feeder…both males…since just once I saw them both making an attempt on the feeder at the same time. Yesterday, while out filling the seed feeders on the deck, one of them came in to use the feeder when I was just passing it, about a 18 inches away. I froze…literally froze in position and did not move…and after some dithering and dancing in the air, probably deciding if it was hungry enough to risk it while I was standing there so close, the hummer came in and fed for two or three minutes…then zoomed away. It was amazing to stand so close I could see every feather in the gorget when it flashed. These photos are cropped from images with the 600mm equivalent lens on the Sony RX10iv, from about 12 feet, and through double pane glass, but they capture a bit of the close up effect. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos (with the protruding feeder poll removed in TouchRetouch). ISO 640 @ f4 @ 1/500th.