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Hummingbird Pictures

Costa’s Hummingbird

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The above photo is of a male Costa’s Hummingbird.  You can tell the bird is a male due to the metallic green back, violet purple crown and gorget, very long throat feathers and green breast.  The average weight for the male of this species is 3.05 grams.  Costa’s Hummingbirds don’t migrate very long distances, so they are often among the first birds to arrive each spring.

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Hummingbird Pictures

Why Use a Monopod or Tripod?

Photographing hummingbirds can be difficult challenge. After all, these birds move extremely quickly, so any help to improve the odds of getting a good shot are appreciated right? Well, my advice would be to use a monopod or tripod whenever photographing hummingbirds. There are several reasons for this. Let me explain.
 
The tips listed below are not my own. They are found in the book entitled “The Complete Guide Attracting, Identifying and Enjoying Hummingbirds” by Donald and Lillian Stokes. This information and much more on how to successfully photograph hummingbirds was written by Sid Rucker, who is a nature photographer from Dallas, Texas. I wish to ensure that the authors are given proper credit for their knowledge and work.
 
  • It is recommended that you invest in a sturdy monopod or tripod.
  • This will allow you to keep the camera at your eye for hours on end and will be helpful whether using a blind or not.
  • Whenever you are using a tripod-mounted camera, the camera should be placed at such a distance from the feeder that the hummingbird will fill at least two-thirds of the frame.
  • Without the use of these devices, you will miss shots because you are not in a proper position to take the shots whenever the opportunity presents itself.
 So, happy hummingbird photographing everyone! It is my hope that this information will help you improve the quality of your hummingbird shots and make them that much more special to you.
 
 
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Hummingbird Pictures

Photographing a Hummingbird at a Flower

Capturing a clear photo of a hummingbird can be a very difficult thing to do. These birds are amazingly quick and do not remain in one place for very long, so this task is often made even more difficult. If you want to photograph a hummingbird feeding at a particular flower, then the information that follows should be of help in your efforts to do so.
 
One thing to do is to put some nectar in the flower. That’s right, add a little sugar water to the flower you want the hummingbird to stay at long enough for you to get your shot. You can add the nectar to the flower by using a syringe. You will want to grind or file the sharp point off of the syringe, fill it full of sugar water and dispense some into the flower you want the hummingbird to drink from. This will make the hummingbird stop at the flower and sip for a little while, thus allowing g your lens enough time to get good focus and giving you enough time to get a few shots. This method can also be used to get hummingbirds to visit certain flowers more often. 
 
It is my hope that this information will improve your changes of getting a good shot of a hummingbird from a particular flower. If you are like me, you too like capturing those special moments or events on film so that you will have a tangible reminder the memory to last a lifetime.
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Hummingbird Pictures

A Few Trivia Facts

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  • Most hummingbirds have eight pairs of ribs.
  • The Aztec god Huitzilopochtli is often depicted as a hummingbird.
  • Hummingbirds will reject flower types that produce nectar which is less than 12% sugar and prefer those whose sugar content is around 25%.
  • It may surprise you to learn that hummingbirds do not spend all of their time flying. They spend an average of 10-15% of their time feeding and 75-80% sitting and digesting.
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Hummingbird Pictures

What is the oldest Mention of Hummingbirds?

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Have you ever wondered when hummingbirds first became  known?  If so , I have the answer for you.  Hope you find it to be as interesting and surprising as I myself did.  The oldest historical mention of hummingbirds dates back to the Tiano Native Americans, around the time of Columbus.

 
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