Measured in body lengths they make the longest known migration of any other bird on the planet<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nHere in Utah Rufous Hummingbirds are migratory and usually I’ve seen them by now but this year I haven’t. So today I decided to post a few older photos of them that are new to my blog. Each of these photos was taken on Antelope Island on the morning of August 17, 2017.<\/p>\n
It’s even possible that the first three photos are of the same bird but I don’t know that for sure.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/rufous-hummingbird-0744-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"rufous-hummingbird-0744-ron-dudley\\"")
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1\/6400, 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<\/em><\/p>\nOn Antelope Island the primary draw for hummingbirds is Rocky Mountain Bee Plant which is what these birds were feeding on. I think it makes a lovely setting for hummingbirds but it can be challenge for the photographer because the relatively large flower clusters often present issues with depth of field.<\/p>\n
For this shot that potential issue was accentuated because I was shooting at f\/5.6 but I got lucky because the flowers the bird was feeding on are plenty sharp enough and there’s no obvious out of focus flowers behind the bird or the primary flower cluster.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/rufous-hummingbird-0907-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"rufous-hummingbird-0907-ron-dudley\\"")
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1\/4000, f\/5.6, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\nBut multiple flower clusters are more difficult, even impossible, to get sharp. In spite of that I like this shot for three reasons:<\/p>\n
\n- it shows the tenacity of the hummingbird to get at a particular flower in the cluster, despite obstacles<\/li>\n
- even with all the flowers in the frame I caught most of the bird against a clean background<\/li>\n
- I’m not sure how I managed to get the bird’s head sharp even with the flowers directly in front of it but somehow I did<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/rufous-hummingbird-0864-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"rufous-hummingbird-0864-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n
1\/5000, f\/5.6, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\nThis photo, with many out of focus flowers behind the bird, is more typical of my results when shooting hummers at bee plant. The soft pinks behind the pink flower cluster mute the cluster’s visual affect but the bird stands out unusually well against them.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/rufous-hummingbird-0899-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"rufous-hummingbird-0899-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n
1\/4000, f\/5.6, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\nReaders know I’m generally not a fan of butt shots but this one appeals to me because of the good look at the female’s colorful and interestingly patterned tail.<\/p>\n
Somehow a butt shot to end a post seems appropriate so I’ll leave it at that.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
PS – On an unrelated note, the prevalence of ‘legal’ and illegal fireworks has significantly tempered my appreciation for the celebration of Independence Day in recent years. It seems to get worse every year. On the night of July 4th in my neighborhood it sounded like someone had cranked up the soundtracks to “Platoon” and “Full Metal Jacket” simultaneously. It was simply awful from before sunset until well after midnight – over four hours of hell. I can’t imagine being an animal or someone with PTSD or… the list is endless. And then there’s the inevitable fires.<\/em><\/p>\nLast night I expected more of the same as is the case most years. So I was very pleasantly surprised when I heard someone in the neighborhood shoot off fireworks for about five minutes soon after 9 PM and then it was eerily quiet for the rest of the night. <\/em><\/p>\nIt was bliss.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rufous Hummingbirds are known as “extremist” hummingbirds for a bunch of reasons.<\/p>\n
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