Perhaps this hummingbird was getting tired of being pushed around by monarch butterflies and took its frustrations out on this little guy.
First a brief description of skippers since some folks may be unfamiliar with them. Skippers are quite small butterflies named for their quick, darting flight habits. There are 3500 species of them worldwide so most folks have likely seen at least some of them. Many are orange or brown and I see them often in my area. This photo was taken the day before those that follow but at the same patch of Rocky Mountain Bee Plants where I’ve been photographing hummingbirds and sphinx moths recently.
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I had my lens trained on this Black-chinned Hummingbird feeding on the bee plant but I wasn’t taking any photos because it was too far away for quality shots. But when the hummer came in close to the perched skipper as it was “browsing” on the flowers I fired off a few bursts because you never know what might happen. Twice recently at this patch I’ve seen larger monarch butterflies intimidate and chase hummingbirds off of their flowers and I missed those shots so I didn’t want it to happen again.
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
For some time these two just ignored each other. In fact the hummer circled around this flower cluster as it fed on nectar and at one point it was right on top of the skipper but neither reacted to the other while it happened.
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
But the skipper made the mistake of flying upwards off the flower and appearing to challenge the hummer and that definitely got the hummingbird’s attention (the bird is soft here but you get the idea…).
1/8000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
They were eyeball to eyeball for a split-second and then the skipper apparently decided he’d bit off more than he could chew so he dived back down into the flower from where he had left.
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
But the hummer was on him in an instant and made him pay a price by jabbing the little butterfly with its stiletto-like bill.
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I’m pretty sure “Skip” made a clean getaway because two shots later in the burst he was gone and the hummer seemed to be gloating over its victory by hovering over the battlefield.
Have I ever mentioned that I love watching and photographing interesting behaviors? 🙂
Ron
Fantastic! This is one of the reasons nature photography can be so much fun, and educational. I’ve seen the territorial behaviors of hummers vs hummers, but never with an insect. Absolutely fascinating.
Behaviour is endlessly fascinating, so I am always (but always) grateful for your eye and your behavioural series.
I am pretty certain that I wouldn’t like to be stabbed by that bill, despite being a leeetle larger than the skipper.
“I am pretty certain that I wouldn’t like to be stabbed by that bill”
EC, I’ve had them buzz so closely to my head that because of that long sharp bill I was concerned for my eyes. Needlessly I’m sure but my reaction was instinctual.
Amazing shots of that hummingbird when you think about how fast those wings go for them to ‘sit’ in the air. This is a very cute story in photos. Thanks for posting something that I never thought about happening.
You’re right about their speed, Alice. It takes a lot of shutter speed…
Yup, stuff generally rolls downhill. I also hope the little guy wasn’t harmed. What a great series!
Robyn, I believe the “little guy” made a clean escape.
Hmmmmm–bullying not limited to humans only……….fascinating capture. Every day I look forward to seeing what you’ve come up with…….and it’s always worthwhile !
“it’s always worthwhile”
I hope that trend continues, Kris. It often isn’t easy. Thank you.
Score one for a hummer!!! I hope the Skipper may a clean getaway…REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR PETS, FALCONS, ETC. INSIDE DURING THE ECLIPSE TOMORROW!!! Please pass this on….
“I hope the Skipper made a clean getaway”
I think it did, Patty.
Fantastic series all together. And that last shot is a killer on it’s own! What beautiful pastel shades on the bird, butterfly and the flowers. Thanks.
Thanks very much, Joanne.
Your commentary definitely makes the post! Love the “victory hover,” but feel bad for the little skipper. These are such fabulous shots, Ron! I’m excited to see what you have on hand for tomorrow!
Love that you appreciate the commentary, Marty – writing is hard work for me (though I often enjoy the process if I’m not rushed).
I hope tomorrow’s post (whatever it might be) lives up to your expectations…
I have no doubt that whatever you post will be oh so fabuloso! 🙂
This is an amazing series! I am very familiar with Fiery Skippers (which is what this one is – they are probably the most common western skipper) and they are small butterflies, even compared to a Hummingbird. I’m glad the bird won out this time.
Thanks very much for the specific ID on the skipper, Susan. Out of 3500 species I’d have never known!
Marvelous behavioral series Ron!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.
What a great series you captured! enhanced by your commentary 🙂
Thank you !
Thank you, D.
Love this!
🙂
How interesting! I never would have imagined a confrontation like that.:) Probably there is much that goes on in the “small world” that we never notice…… Probably making sure the little “pest” was REALLY gone 🙂
“there is much that goes on in the “small world” that we never notice”
That is so, so true, Judy! And with birds especially much of it happens so incredibly fast that we don’t even know what we’ve “seen”. The magic of the photograph has really opened new worlds for me.
Action, Action, Action, love it!!
Great shots Ron, and especially between a butterfly and a hummer. You never or hardly ever see shots like that, thank you for sharing that moment!
“You never or hardly ever see shots like that”
Dick, that’s partly because it’s so difficult to get both combatants sharp. Most aren’t using enough shutter speed for this kind of action and when you do your depth of field is so shallow that at least one of them is likely to be soft anyway. I’ll take credit for the SS but I was just lucky that they were both (usually) in the same focal plane (or very close to it).