Yesterday morning we found a spot that was hummingbird heaven for this bird photographer. My personal requirements for such a place include the following:
- Plenty of hummingbirds.
- A natural setting. For me this is a big one because I don’t photograph hummers at feeders, at setups or on back yard flowers.
- Enough light to at least have a chance at getting their fast-moving wings sharp.
- Morning sun behind me so I can shoot from my pickup. With my bad back I can’t lug my photo gear far or stand at a tripod for long.
- A remote location so I don’t have to worry about oncoming traffic.
This spot in the mountains of the west desert fit all my requirements. The attraction for the hummingbirds was a currant bush loaded with flowers and there were plenty of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds feeding on the bountiful nectar, fighting over the resource and perching on nearby bushes. I spent more than an hour and a half at the bush and took over 1400 shots.
That’s not to say the shooting was easy – it wasn’t. The hummers were usually too far away or too close, in many cases the shooting angle was ridiculously steep out my pickup window and most of my flight shots were either soft or had clipped body parts. But I had fun and I even got some photos I like reasonably well.
Following are some of them.
1/4000, f/5.6, 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
In some of my photos the bird was so close it was too tight in the frame but I was able to get good detail that I enjoy seeing. In this shot I like the definition on all of those tiny wing feathers and the good look at the currant pollen on the bill.
1/4000, f/5.6, 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 think the ruffled feathers on the head and gorget make this bird look grumpy.
This shot shows one of the problems I had all morning – insufficient depth of field to get the entire bird sharp. As usual for me I opted for shutter speed over DOF. With bird photography compromise is nearly always part of the equation.
1/3200, f/5.6, 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
My backgrounds were often busy but when the twigs were far enough away from the bird my lens rendered the bokeh so soft that I actually enjoy them back there.
1/4000, f/5.6, 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
While shooting at f/5.6 my depth of field was extremely shallow so the bird’s entire body had to be in the same plane relative to me for me to get everything sharp. This is one of the relatively few cases where it happened.
1/3200, f/5.6, 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
This one hurt. I got very few flight shots I like but I’d have loved this one if I hadn’t cut off the tip of the bill (which was buried in a currant flower). The detail on the head and tail is incredible for a flight shot.
But the bird was too close so I just didn’t have enough room. The photo as presented is full frame vertically and has only been cropped on the sides.
1/3200, f/5.6, 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
Another problem I had all morning was getting full color on the gorgets. With the light angle I had I could usually only get the gorget to light up in all its glory when the bird was facing straight at me which just doesn’t work very well because of the long bill of hummingbirds and because that angle doesn’t provide catch lights in the eyes.
This gorget is only partially lit up.
1/800, f/9, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 400mm, not baited, set up or called in
As is typical for hummingbirds at a food source there were many fights. These two skirmished several times but in the end they settled for landing on adjacent perches and giving each other the evil eye. They glared at each other for a long time so I had plenty of opportunity to use my smaller lens so I could get both birds in the frame.
1/2500, f/5.6, 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’ll end with this shot simply because it gives me joy. The bird wasn’t close so the image quality isn’t great but that pose as the bird took off from the branch still delights me.
To me it looks like he’s dancing on the twig. Facebook follower Muffy S. Gately calls it a “twig jig.”
Ron
Wow, Wow, Wow, Ron!!! I’m just seeing your blog this morning!! I wish I’d seen it yesterday to help with a really down day!! The whole series is spectacular but I do have favorites – #3, 5, & 8!! (Not good at explaining why – LOL!!) Hummingbirds are definitely God’s Jewels & your photos do them justice (even though to you they aren’t perfect)!! We’ve tried for years to attract them to our yard with zero luck. I’ve scrolled thru your Hummer photos several times now to enjoy them up close. (It’s so nice to have a 23 inch computer screen to really enjoy your blog photos!! A day late for me but it starts today off with a smile on my face!!
What a great day. I love watching Hummers. Love all of the pics!
Thank you, Jean.
I love these! What a wonderful photo-shoot that must have been and the results are so enjoyable even if they are not all perfect. Many of them are spectacular though. I’m so envious of the pics and for the time you spent with the birdsW
Thanks, Joanne. It was loads of fun.
Nicky, last year some caring people brought me a male Black-chinned for rehabilitation. They had watched as it fought with another of the same.Suddenly one went spiraling down, just like a fighter pilot in flames.Poor guy was bleeding from a piercing head injury, and died a few hours later. I had no idea they would or could murder a rival. True, cross my heart!
I’m not surprised, Mikal. The way they zoom around with that needle beak leading it has to happen occasionally.
An idea! Commission a wooden frame with a hanging flower carved into the top. Then mount that lovely photo of the bird sipping. Perfect!
🙂
I think that the scientists I follow on twitter call these MURDER BIRDS!! Which I always find amusing, because they are so jewel like and such exquisite creatures, how could they possibly be murderous towards each other (haha, right?); superb photos…
I’ve never heard that phrase applied to them but there’s no question that they’re extremely aggressive birds.
I never cease to be amazed at the way the feathers change color depending on the angle of light. I’m impressed but not surprised you amassed 1400 shots to capture the ones you posted. Nicely done.
Lyle, it’s truly amazing to watch those color changes up close through a high quality lens. Sometimes the transformation seems like magic, it really does.
Beautiful shots, Ron. Especially the twig jig. Those are the shots that make the other 1399 shots worth it.
And thank you for the photography lessons. We all share the same challenges, and it helps to see how you and others del with them.
Bob, we all have our own methods of dealing with them but I agree that it often helps to get the perspective of other photographers. As a result of such input I sometimes tweak what I do in the field.
Delightful! 🙂 I definitely needed this series this morning. (The car is still not finished and it looks like we’re going to have to shell out our own money if we want the rear window done correctly. VERY frustrating!!! I’m tired of the “it’s a 2002 car” excuse — it’s a classic roadster and was in great condition before the city tree fell on it.)
Hoping a few more of your 1400 shots of these lovelies will grace your blog. 🙂
Thanks, Marty. I may post some images of one of their squabbles if they turn out to be good enough.
Good luck with your car.
So much joy! And, yes, I winced at the cut off bill. Ouch!
I was bummed by it. Thanks, Arwen.
Well, those photos are glorious!
Thanks, Becky.
These are beautiful. I am crazy about hummingbirds. I do feed them in order to watch them up close. Thanks for the lesson on gorget. I have had several Black Chinned this morning at the feeder and the flowers.
I often have feeders out too. I just don’t photograph them there. Thanks, Betty.
These are wonderful! I love hummingbirds. So does my husband, with whom I’m going to share this post. It’ll make his day.
I hope he enjoys it. Thanks, Kathleen.
These are the BEST hummingbird photos I’ve yet seen—I love the natural backdrops, and the feather detail ( especially in #4 ) is just stunning ! I, too, loved
seeing the “twig jig”– today’s shots help me appreciate them as real birds as opposed to blurry, fast-moving aerial phenomena —thanks for today’s post–
it was a real treat.
Thank you very much, Kris. Yes, there’s nothing like closeup shots using a high quality lens to reveal much of that elusive detail.
Beautiful Ron. Can’t even imagine going through 1400 takes to pick these out. We have one feeder here, but only for the winter. The rest of the year they need to be about their jobs nature intended. So nice to see photos of them taken in the wild. And thanks for the “gorget” did not know it was called that.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Thanks, Everett.
This from Wikipedia about the origin of “gorget”. I think it’s pretty interesting that we now apply it to hummingbirds:
“A gorget….. from the French gorge meaning throat, was a band of linen wrapped around a woman’s neck and head in the medieval period or the lower part of a simple chaperon hood.[2][3] The term later described a steel or leather collar to protect the throat, a set of pieces of plate armour,or a single piece of plate armour hanging from the neck and covering the throat and chest. Later, particularly from the 18th century, the gorget became primarily ornamental, serving as a symbolic accessory on military uniforms, a use which has survived in some armies.”
Visiting San Clemente, CA our friends have several feeders and they are so use to people they will fly up eye level and look at you. New people visiting especially. No explanation as to why.
Steven, I think there’s no question that they recognize individual people.
Stunning! Love the details in the wing and tail feathers…in fact I can pick a study point in each photo to scrutinize! It is hard to choose but your last photo is special as is the first; but the cropped one shows such detail….and the gorget on the next. Like I said so hard to choose! Great set!
Thanks, Kathy. I know what you mean about “hard to choose”. Imagine the difficulty I had choosing a few shots to post out of 1400 images!
Gorgeous pics, Ron. Congratulations!
Thanks very much, Jerry.