HUMMINGBIRDS

Each year we put up a hummingbird feeder outside our living room windows that overlook our deck.  And each year I am amazed that the neighborhood hummingbirds find the feeder to get sugar fixes.  And almost every year I tried to capture some of those visitors with my camera.  This year has been no exception.  

I am the first to admit that I lack the patience to do wildlife photography, even on those occasions when I don't need to leave my living room.  Not only are hummingbirds notoriously skittish around humans, but they are nearly always in motion.  And, let's face it, they are tiny.  Given those problems, even with a telephoto lens they are difficult to capture in photos.  As a result, I am never going to get award-winning shots of these beautiful birds.  But here are some images that I was able to capture.

These photos warrant a few comments.  First, all were taken from inside our home rather than from the deck.  The birds were simply too wary to stick around when I was outside on the deck.  The glass was relatively clean, but in the middle photo (of the bird sitting vertically) the bird's breast's reflection in the glass is apparent.  Second, the shots are cropped to an extent.  Even from a distance of 5 or 6 feet (when I am lucky) and with a 300mm lens, the birds appear small.  Third, the top of the feeder is a red faded over the years to a magenta.  That color serves to attract the birds, which is good, but, depending on the light, the red reflects off the birds' nearly white breasts, false-coloring them a pink.  I was able to eliminate most of the reflected color in post processing, but not all.

Hummingbirds are amazing and I am generally happy to have captured what I did.

John

© 2020 John M. Phillips