My Hummingbird Pictures
(2006)


It all started with this ONE picture that took me over three weeks to finally get



Rick's mom Judy has a bunch of hummingbird feeders and some Hyacinth Bean vine plants that the hummingbirds just love. I spent weeks trying to get a picture of one at either the feeder or at the vines, but never got one. Finally I decided I was just going to go outside with the camera and wait. Well, they weren't feeding at her feeders or vines that day, but there were tons at her neighbor's feeders. So I went over there, stood about 10 to 12 feet from the feeder and used the zoom.  Finally got this one picture (actually took about a dozen, this is the only one that actually came out any good)

A couple days after taking that picture the girl who lives in the front apartment told me that while she was sitting out on the porch reading she saw a hummingbird flitting around on the porch. Later in the week I was talking to Judy about it and mentioned I was going to get an inexpensive feeder to put out on my deck where my plant was hanging. She happened to have one that she wasn't using, and gave it to me. Within an hour of putting it out I startled a hummingbird when I opened the door to go pick Rick up from work. Victory again! On 9/18/2006 I decided to go outside and try to get some pictures. It's overcast and misty and the birdies were having a blast. I counted a good half dozen of them between my feeder and the feeder at the house next door.

These pictures are of the hummingbirds at my neighbor's feeder.



    

     

I was standing about 10 feet away from the feeder which is hung from the 8 or so foot ceiling of their porch. The pictures are a tad fuzzy, but since they're so fast I think they came out pretty good.

While I was waiting for the birds to start feeding at the neighbor's feeder I watched one fly off and settle on the fence of the house next to them.



Kind of a dark picture but I still thought it was pretty cool :)

I also managed to catch a picture of one of the cuties resting in one of the trees behind our house.



Now the little guys (and gals) feeding at my feeder. I was standing about 8-10 feet from my feeder with the zoom









I've got this hanging Vinca plant that used to be hanging where the feeder is now. It's looking a little scrawny in this picture, the heat got to it the month before, a lot of the leaves turned yellow. But it's still had flowers and
did green back up a bit. Anyway, I've had it hanging from one of the deck railings. And I caught this little guy (or girl) going for a sip

 

I didn't realize that hummingbirds liked Vinca, I guess it's the bright pink center they're attracted to. So I probably have had hummingbirds sipping at my flowers all along.


I have a Clementis vine planted in a large pot with an arched trellis. The plant didn't do very well, didn't bloom and the heat seems to have gotten the best of it even though I watered it religiously. The plant may not have done well, but the trellis seems to come in handy



This one was taken from the ground, not very good, but you can still see the little guy.

A few hours after taking all the above pictures and after having taken Rick to work and run an errand I was sitting in the apartment with the door open just watching them fly around. They seem to have been playing chase. This cheeky little girl kept lighting on the trellis and chittering at me. I took a couple shots from my desk chair, across the room from the door.





I decided to try getting closer figuring she'd fly away and at least I got those shots. Surprise surprise, I actually was able to get really close to her. The shots below were taken from the doorway, less than 6 feet away. She flew away once when a trailer truck went by on the highway that our house is on, but she came back. I didn't use a zoom for these pictures, that's how close I was.





 



A few hours later, she decided to come on in and visit me. She flew maybe a foot or two into the open door (actually stopping around the edge of the door) ... I was too stunned and the camera was too far away for me to actually get a picture of it though. She flew back out when I couldn't contain my laugh any longer.

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