Hummingbirds & Backyard Migrants

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This is my first newsletter in several weeks.  I’ve been putting some shots on Facebook but I just got lazy with the newsletter.  Now that migrating songbirds are passing through, I thought you might want to see what we’ve been seeing at the birdbath. 

Hummingbirds are more abundant at our house than in recent years, so I’ve been photographing them.  Orioles, chats, goldfinches and more have been here, too.  Last week, of course, I conducted a hummingbird workshop up at the Barnhart Ranch and Nature Retreat near Berclaire.  They had plenty of hummingbirds, but the hot weather almost overcame our enthusiasm.  Anyway, here is a mixture of shots from the ranch and from our back yard.

Sunrise on the front porch at Barnhart Ranch and Nature Retreat.
Sunrise on the front porch at Barnhart Ranch and Nature Retreat.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird male feeding at Salvia as the sun rises.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird male feeding at Salvia as the sun rises.
Roseate Skimmer resting on a yucca stem near a sunflower patch.
Roseate Skimmer resting on a yucca stem near a sunflower patch.
I grabbed some early morning photos before the other photographers arrived at the Barnhart Ranch and Nature Retreat.  The prospects looked great for a successful workshop.  We had good shooting in the mornings in spite of the fact that the hummers rejected several setups I constructed for getting them with high speed flash.  So, we settled for shooting them  under normal lighting conditions.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding at salvia.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding at salvia.
Hummer hovering below the blooms of a salvia.
Hummer hovering below the blooms of a salvia.
Both of the hummingbirds above were shot at 1/1600 second with an ISO setting of 500.  I was pleasantly surprised that my 100-400 mm Canon lens, hand-held, captured these little guys so nicely.
Rubythroat stretching its wings while perched near a feeder.
Rubythroat stretching its wings while perched near a feeder.
The backside of the same hummingbird as seen stretching above.
The backside of the same hummingbird as seen stretching above.
Hummer landing
Hummer landing
White-eyed Vireo awaiting its turn at the Ditto bird bath.
White-eyed Vireo awaiting its turn at the Ditto bird bath.
Yellow-breasted Chat sitting by the water drip hanging above the bath.
Yellow-breasted Chat sitting by the water drip hanging above the bath.
The yellow-breasted chat has been with us for about a month.  He is the most secretive of the birds in our yard, but he makes several appearances each day.
Male lesser goldfinch after a refreshing bath
Male lesser goldfinch after a refreshing bath
Nashville Warblers have been at the bath for two or three days now.
Nashville Warblers have been at the bath for two or three days now.
Nashville Warbler perched below a dripping water hose. A passing droplet of water blurs his left leg.
Nashville Warbler perched below a dripping water hose. A passing droplet of water blurs his left leg.
I photographed the warbler, vireo and perched hummingbirds with natural light this morning.  I hope to have more backyard birds for you in the next newsletter.
Larry

One thought on “Hummingbirds & Backyard Migrants”

  1. Great shot of hummingbirds! I always have a bit of trouble when it comes to photographing them and have been able only to get a few decent shots.
    Congrats for great captures!

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