And both were provided by the same hummingbird.
1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 2000, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc
This is the first Rufous Hummingbird I’ve seen in my yard for over two years. I used to get lots of them in my yard when they were migrating but for some reason, they just stopped showing up. Until early yesterday morning when this little lady made a prolonged appearance in my canna lily patch (at one point I took more than 300 photos of her in just over 30 seconds).
Then she did something that provided the second first of the morning.
1/500, f/6.3, ISO 2000, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc
She started feeding, or attempting to feed, on an eggplant flower that was right behind my canna lilies. I’ve never seen a hummer try to feed on an eggplant flower before, for good reason. Eggplant flowers don’t produce or contain any nectar – none at all.
1/640, f/6.3, ISO 2000, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc
She kept her bill inside the flower for long enough to make me think she was getting some kind of nourishment in there.
This is my view of the canna lilly patch from where I always sit while I’m trying to photograph hummers. The eggplant plant is between and behind the two canna clumps. I’ve circled the precise flower she was feeding on in white to make it easier to spot (the photo isn’t particularly sharp).
If you look closely you’ll see a ripe eggplant fruit at the bottom of the plant near the ground. Fried breaded eggplant is included in my planned dinner menu for tonight.
I have no idea why she was trying to feed at an eggplant flower. Maybe she was feeding on ants inside the flower – after all, the outside of the flower was covered with them. Or perhaps she was just exploring, as hummers tend to do.
Either way I was delighted to get the photos and document the behavior, despite the low light, slow shutter speed and blurred wings.
Ron
PS – In photos #2 and #3 the “f/6.3” was a mistake. If I’d been at f/5.6 I’d have had a little more shutter speed. It probably didn’t make much difference though.
Roufus return! Am SO excited for you!
She liked the egg plant blossom because it matched her color – perfectly!!! Beautiful!!! Thanks for all of your efforts!
Oh, so she’s a fashion diva, huh? If it works for her it works for me. Thanks, Judy.
I didn’t learn until some time this year that hummingbirds supplement their diets with insect protein. I’d be willing to bet that’s what was happening here: protein on the hoof, as it were.
I wouldn’t bet against you, Shoreacres.
Sweet photos! And I guess that’s one good thing to be said for hot weather… Ripe eggplants. Bon appétit! Thanks, Ron.
“I guess that’s one good thing to be said for hot weather.”
It’s about the only thing, Ellen. Thanks.
The eggplant photos are lovely – her spotted neck/chin and the fuzziness of the plant stems – so neat. Gorgeous garden!
Thank you, Carolyn. Like most garden’s, it has its successes and failures, and everything in between.
Thank you so much for posting from your yard. There’s still a lot for us to learn, even without going into the wild. And a lot of beauty, too.
Cheryl, sometimes I miss being out there, “in the wild”, but it sure saves me (and the environment, and my bank account) a lot on gas.
Nice shots Ron. Same here regarding Rufous – have not seen
one in about two years.
Thanks, Everett. I wonder what’s going on with them.
Seeing the broader view of your garden and the area you are watching and aiming for gives a deeper appreciation for your photography. I know I have noted this before, but I am impressed with how you can move that camera with a large lens fast enough to focus in on the hummers; a bird known for not lingering.
Very curious about the hummer spending so much energy on the eggplant flowers. Gotta be the ants.
That is one heck of a garden you got there. Beautiful tomato plants. Dreaming about BLTs right now (and fried breaded eggplant).
Thanks very much, Michael.
I had a big juicy BLT for dinner last night. This time of year I have BLTs about twice per week. All that bacon can’t be good for my arteries so I make sure to take my daily statin… 🙂
What luck! And beautiful garden too!
While I’ve always seen Rufous hummingbirds of both sexes stop at my feeder/flowers at both ends of their migration, this is the first year that I’ve seen a Rufous stay the summer in my yard (Eugene OR)
Thanks, Elise. I only get them during migration. If they show up at all.
Cool! Quite the contortion she got into to check it out! Really caught the iridescence of her feathers.
We used to get a few in fall but haven’t had any for several years.
What are the nasturtiums for?
48 and smoke this morning…….luv the “cool” the smoke not so much….
“What are the nasturtiums for?”
Judy, nasturtiums have edible flowers and leaves but I plant them just because I like old fashioned flowers.
But I made a mistake when I planted them where I did – they get too much water. You’re supposed to treat nasturtiums “nasty” – they prefer poor soil and little water. As a result, this year my nasturtiums are producing mostly leaves and few flowers.