{"id":17926,"date":"2013-08-29T05:02:08","date_gmt":"2013-08-29T11:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=17926"},"modified":"2013-08-29T05:02:08","modified_gmt":"2013-08-29T11:02:08","slug":"hummingbirds-butterflies-and-rocky-mountain-bee-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/08\/29\/hummingbirds-butterflies-and-rocky-mountain-bee-plant\/","title":{"rendered":"Hummingbirds, Butterflies And Rocky Mountain Bee Plant"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday we had a blast on Antelope Island\u00a0while photographing two different subjects I have very little experience with – hummingbirds and butterflies.\u00a0\u00a0Whether they’re my images or those of others I’ve always preferred hummingbird images taken in\u00a0natural\u00a0surroundings rather than set up and\/or in a back yard setting and I much prefer natural light over flash.<\/p>\n

There almost seems to be a distinct genre of bird photography involving hummingbirds which\u00a0includes the use of elaborate setups to get that perfect, uncluttered background and multiple flashes to freeze those whirring wings.\u00a0 Such methods\u00a0often produce beautiful images but\u00a0for me they\u00a0typically have that “setup feel” that doesn’t much appeal to me.<\/p>\n

The trade-off with\u00a0going “au natural” is that one can’t be as fussy about the setting or background and the wings will often show motion blur\u00a0but I like the wing blur often present in hummer images\u00a0taken\u00a0sans\u00a0flash – those little wings go so fast that the blur seems natural to my eye.\u00a0 And since hummingbirds images are often taken among flowers, the background colors can often be\u00a0very colorful – to the point of competing with the bird.\u00a0 I may have pushed that envelope to the limits here.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"rufous<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a01\/2000, f\/5.6, ISO 400, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I’ll admit off the top that I’m so inexperienced with hummingbirds that I haven’t even been able to positively identify the species I’m presenting here.\u00a0 I think I’ve narrowed it down to either Rufous or Calliope but I’d appreciate any help from others on ID.\u00a0 I despise having to use my “unidentified ID” folder…<\/p>\n

These birds were buzzing frantically over clumps of Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, a species of Cleome that produces copious amounts of nectar so it attracts hummingbirds,\u00a0butterflies, bees and wasps.\u00a0 All four were there yesterday.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"rufous<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a01\/2500, f\/5.6, ISO 400, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

As a biologist I enjoyed watching the natural processes at work here.\u00a0 The\u00a0long, showy pollen tipped stamens and deeply buried nectar, when combined with the long bill of the bird, are the perfect combination to suit\u00a0some of the biological needs of each species.\u00a0 The hummers were often covered with pollen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"rufous<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a01\/2500, f\/5.6, ISO 400, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0Normally I’d delete most any\u00a0photo where the head of my subject is hidden but it can be seen just well enough through the diaphanous veil of the wing feathers that the image works for me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"rufous<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a01\/2000, f\/5.6, ISO 400, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0Occasionally the birds would land close enough on twig perches to rest and stretch.\u00a0 This one gave me a variety of interesting poses.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"monarch<\/a><\/p>\n

1\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0The butterflies were there in abundance, too – especially Monarchs.\u00a0 I’d never before seen butterflies chasing hummingbirds but it happened several times yesterday.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"monarch<\/a><\/p>\n

1\/2500, f\/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I believe this is the female Monarch.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"rufous<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a01\/1600, f\/5.6, ISO 400, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Yesterday was great fun!\u00a0 It’s been so slow on the island for so long now (the August doldrums) that both Mia and I were beginning to believe that “skunked” was our middle names.<\/p>\n

But yesterday the only smell out there was the “lake stink”…<\/p>\n

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

Yesterday morning on Antelope Island hummingbirds were buzzing frantically over clumps of Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, a species of Cleome that produces copious amounts of nectar so it attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and wasps. All four were present. As a biologist I enjoyed watching the natural processes at work here. The long, showy pollen tipped stamens and deeply buried nectar, when combined with the long bill of the bird, are the perfect combination to suit some of the biological needs of each species. The hummers were often covered with pollen.<\/p>\n

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