{"id":101706,"date":"2021-08-26T06:26:53","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T12:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=101706"},"modified":"2021-08-26T06:26:53","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T12:26:53","slug":"rufous-hummingbirds-theyre-already-gone-at-least-mine-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/26\/rufous-hummingbirds-theyre-already-gone-at-least-mine-are\/","title":{"rendered":"Rufous Hummingbirds – They’re Already Gone, At Least Mine Are"},"content":{"rendered":"

I always miss the hummingbirds when they head south for the winter but this year I’m going to have a harder time of it than usual.<\/span><\/p>\n

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1\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

This is an older photo of a Rufous Hummingbird nectaring on Rocky Mountain Bee Plant on Antelope Island. I like this particular photo for a lot of reasons, including that it was taken from far enough away to give me sufficient depth of field to get both the entire bird and the entire large flower cluster completely sharp. With my photo gear and these fairly large flowers that doesn’t happen very often.<\/p>\n

For reasons too many to list, photographing nectaring hummers in flight has become one of the true joys of my life and this photo illustrates one of them. You just never know what unexpected critter might be hanging out on or near the nectar-producing flowers. .<\/p>\n

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This time it was a tiny black beetle on top of one of the pink petals near the base of the flower’s pistil. For this biologist and nature lover such discoveries are an unexpected and far from trivial bonus.<\/p>\n

Hummingbirds also feed on tiny arthropods so when I see something like this I always wonder how often they pick off these little insects and spiders while they’re nectaring and we don’t even notice it.<\/p>\n

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Readers know that until this year I’ve rarely posted photos of birds in my garden but this summer, largely because of wildfire smoke, I’ve been photographing hummers on or near my 11′ tall amaranth plants where they hang out in-between feeding bouts on garden flowers or at my feeder on the other side of my yard.\u00a0On days when I don’t go shooting in the mountains or elsewhere I have what could almost be called my “hummingbird schedule”.<\/p>\n

In the early mornings, with coffee in hand, I hang out in a chair in the shade on the east side of my garden and watch the hummer wars as they buzz around my amaranth and use it as elevated perches to guard my feeder on the other side of my yard. Mostly I get Black-chinned Hummingbirds and Rufous Hummingbirds. Sometimes I have my camera with me but often I don’t. I’m just there for my love of hummers. And for the entertainment.<\/p>\n

In the evenings I hang out on the patio (which is now in the shade) near my feeder and watch the hummer wars from a different perspective. I’m only about 6′ from my feeder so it isn’t unusual for them to hover within 2′ of my face. When they do that I don’t know if they’re challenging me or just curious about me but either way I find such an intimate experience with wild birds to be incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. During those evening interactions I nearly always have a pre-dinner cocktail in hand. After all, I wouldn’t want my hummer friends to drink alone…<\/p>\n

I’ve become especially enamored with the Rufous Hummingbirds because of their oversized personalities. They’d been reliable for many weeks but it’s been at least five days since I’ve seen a single Rufous. They’re known to migrate early so I’m pretty sure they’re on their way south.<\/p>\n

Recently I told my readers that “I’m gonna miss them when they’re gone”. I already do.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I always miss the hummingbirds when they head south for the winter but this year I’m going to have a harder time of it than usual.<\/p>\n

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