And finally, a male!
It’s hummingbird season, but like me I suspect my readers are growing weary of all the photos I’ve been posting (for years) of hummers at my trumpet vine. And the highly aggressive female Black-chinned Hummingbirds around here won’t let the male(s) near the trumpet vine anyway. I haven’t seen a male at the trumpet vine this year. Not once.
So, for the last four days I’ve been trying to photograph hummers in my (mostly vegetable) garden. It provides a variety of settings, rather than just trumpet vine flowers, and because the garden’s so big, sometimes a male can sneak in for a few moments before the females spot him and chase him off.
The problem with the garden is light and heat. For most of the day it’s too damned hot out there. I can only shoot early in the morning or for a short window of time in the evening when it’s cooler and the light isn’t so harsh. But with the sun low in the sky I’m nearly always shooting in shade or at best, dappled light. So I’m nearly always shooting at ISO 1600 with a shutter speed of only 1/500 – 1/640 sec. Which obviously is far from ideal for hummingbirds in flight.
Even so, I think a few of my photos are worth sharing.
Here’s my garden not long before quitting time in the morning because that blazing hot sun is just about to slam me. And light, where there is light, is already becoming harsh.
When they’re in my garden, hummers spend most of their time at my canna lilies, zinnias or nasturtiums, or resting on my tomato cages and various types of foliage. Occasionally, after I’ve hand watered a few of my plants that need extra water (my garden is mostly watered by a drip system), hummers will zip around to most any plant, flowers or not, and try to bathe on the wet leaves or even drink some of the water drops.
Supposedly hummers almost never drink plain water because they get all the water they need from nectar but I’ve seen them do it, more than once.
This female was feeding at my canna lillies. As usual the light was low and dappled so the background is dark.
This was one of the few times I was able to get both the bird and the flower sharp and get the entire flower, including the leaning flower spike, in the frame without cutting anything off. So of course something had to go wrong, and it did. That subtle, horizontal, out of focus band at bottom left is one of the thick wire strands of a tomato cage in the background. It drives me nuts because it looks (and is) unnatural.
I could probably clone it out but I prefer not to.
So I tried two different ways of cropping it out.
Both worked reasonably well but I still prefer version one that includes the entire flower and that annoying band.
Take your pick.
As she rested on one of my tomato cages she appeared to be trying to read one of my plant tags. If the part of the tag she was looking at hadn’t been upside down, maybe she could’ve.
In the four days I was photographing in my garden I only had a decent opportunity with the male twice. Here he’d been attempting to bathe in water droplets that were still clinging to the shaded sides of my nasturtium leaves. Only one of those water droplets can be seen in this photo, near his right foot.
He wasn’t close but I like the photo because to me he appears to be happy dancing on his stubby little legs.
Here the same male had been feeding on my zinnias. This is one of the very few times I’ve ever caught the gorget lit up of a male Black-chinned Hummingbird in flight. The gorget of males of this species is a brilliant, iridescent band of deep violet-purple along the lower edge of the throat. But the light angle on it has to be just right for it to show up.
The various colors of my zinnias are all pretty bright and gaudy so in this photo his snazzy gorget fits right in.
Ron
How beautiful your photos are, Thank You.
Your garden is a WOW! It is spectacular, the colors are breathtaking.
Take Care,
Kaye
Thanks very much, Kaye.
Another delightful post, Ron! Your garden is gorgeous and the critters must feel safe and welcome because of you. Your last shot is definitely wall-worthy! Got quite a chuckle from the two shots above it too — having lots of fun anthropomorphizing the literate lady and the charleston chap.
“the critters must feel safe and welcome because of you”
Maybe a little too safe, Marty. Bandito and his friends have been damaging some of my still green tomatoes. The necromancer in me wants to talk to the spirit of that male rat I trapped recently and ask him to tell Bandito what happens to those who mess with my garden, especially my tomatoes. 🙂
Your garden is gorgeous and the hummingbird photos are wonderful. I really like the male on the nasturtium leaf.
I did not plant as much this year, I was worried about water use. I am not watering much and what I did plant isn’t doing as well as usual. I seem to have a lot of fungus or a virus in my garden this year. I think with reduced watering, higher temps plants are stressed and more susceptible. I have trouble growing zinnias, they develop dry leaves and soon die. Don’t know what I am doing wrong.
Thanks, April. I’m probably going to lose my zinnias soon too. With my bad back I can’t get down and deadhead all those flowers so I doubt they’ll last much longer. Bad planning on my part.
Beautiful pictures. Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks, Travis.
I didn’t notice the wire that distressed you until you mentioned it: the flower and the hummingbird held center stage. You comments about the wire reminded me of something Yogi Berra once said: “If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.” That might apply to photos, too!
Gottta love Yogi-isms, Shoreacres. And Yogi himself.
They are exquisite, and your flowers are beautiful as well!! It’s amazing how small they are in comparison to the flower heads!
Little birds, pretty big flowers. Thanks, Evelyn.
I never get tired of any of your posts. This one is very enjoyable and your garden is beautiful. I have always felt you talent is artsy and this post says that to me. The colors are gorgeous. Stay cool.
Thanks, Betty. It isn’t every day that someone applies the tag “artsy” to me.
Thank you for a wonderful series of photos. I always look forward to your emails. Both the photography and the narrative are delightful.
Thanks very much, Dan.
What a beautiful adventure of a morning in your garden with the Hummers. I’m so glad you share a lot of them not just the perfect ones. To get to know Hummers and their beauty through your photos and descriptions as a wonderful way to start my morning.
Thank you, Eloise. If I just shared the “perfect” ones my posts would be few and far between.
Awesome photos!!! I like the backstory, the plants, the description of heat and light…
My mom likes zinnias!
I recently purchased a desert willow tree (native CA plant, from East Bay Wilds native plant nursery), which I’ll plant in Fall, trying to add more native plants.
I need more shade in the garden since I lost my ceanothus (lifespan is about 25 years); I’ve recently added a ribes, snowberry, coffeeberry, some coral bells;
I have trouble with the big dog thrashing though the garden so I have tomato cages around a lot of the plants, at least for the early months…
Nicky, shade is my problem when it comes to growing vegetables in the garden. “They” recommend a minimum of 5-6 hours of direct sunlight for most veggies but I only get about 5 and I get less and less light every year because of my neighbor’s (and my) huge, growing trees.
Love the hummers! Sometimes a hummer will dash thru the water, as I’m spraying ny climbing roses…enjoying a quick shower.
Barbara, occasionally they do the same thing for me when I’m hand watering.
I can only say…. “Beautiful!”
Thank you for sharing…..
You’re very welcome. Thanks, CJ.
Gorgeous! Hummers are my fav! Our annual migrating Rufus showed up last week 😀 Would have never seen the tomato cage if you had not pointed it out! And gaudy flowers?!! – never!!!
Kathleen, I used to get migrating Rufous in my yard regularly but I didn’t see a single one of them last year.
Love them all, especially the last one with the light on the gorget. Thanks!
Thank you, Burrdoo.
All gorgeous! (I doubt any of us would complain about your trumpet vine/hummer photos, even if that was all you posted 😊)
Uncropped canna lily with subtle tomato cage wire – beautiful! Zinnias have never been my favorite flower, but close up they are also beautiful. Thanks for starting my day with such a smile.
Thanks, Carolyn. I enjoy zinnias but no question – their colors can be gaudy.
Wonderful garden and beautiful hummers! Always a pleasure to start the day with your photos. Thank you, Ron!
Thanks, Brett.
Great shots and beautiful zinnias!
Thank you, Catherine.
What a great garden. All seems to be doing quite well despite the heat.
Stunning photo of the Hummer, no matter how you crop it. All good.
That last one is really nice.
“All seems to be doing quite well despite the heat.”
I wish that were true, Michael. As usual in the garden, this year I’ve had major successes, massive failures and everything in-between. For example, three of my nine tomato plants are doing poorly for some reason. I’ve already torn one of them out and the other two may follow. The other six seem to be doing just fine.
I didn’t see the tomato cage until you mentioned it so I loved that picture the best. Fun to see the gorget on the male hummingbird along with the beautiful zinnias — special picture for you.
Laurie, I didn’t notice that out of focus cage at first either. But once I did, I couldn’t unsee it.
I love the male doing his “happy dance”! 🙂 The female “reading” you tag is also fun. Great capture of the male on the Zinnia.:)
Blessed(temporary) heat relief at 55 this morning. Have added some smoke as of yesterday…… UGH!
Thanks, Judy. Our nightly lows have been in the mid to upper 70’s for many days now. I’m sick of it. So far we’ve been lucky with smoke but it probably won’t last.
Looks like the male has a beautiful bib. All looked stunning to my unprofessional eyes. Thanks – as always – for taking the time and effort to share your talents.
“Looks like the male has a beautiful bib.”
He could’ve used a bib, Judy. I have other photos of him with several water drops on his chin and upper breast.