Late one afternoon I was walking about the yard with my camera and not expecting to see any hummingbirds when I heard the unmistakable sounds of 2 hummers that were squeaking and tweaking. I watched in fascination as they darted in and out of the Mexican Bush Sage that grows in my old garden plot about 250 feet from my house. I did not have my tripod and wished that this time I had my very old trusty camera support. These pics were shot with my canon 200mmm kit lens and of course, here I go again- they would be better with at least a 300mm L series but alas I do not have the lens that I had counted on getting. I let it go back to be put in the case for sale. Just got afraid to spend the money when my daughter’s health insurance was no longer in the federal government pool. This is an aside here but we have no idea what insurance company we can get for her or what it will cost. Therefore I could not blithely spend 1,500 smacker roos on a camera lens. But one day…
Back to the hummers. The Black Chinned and the Ruby Throated females and immatures are very difficult to identify and even experts sometimes have a problem. After taking notes from my photos, I might, later, be able to identify which is which. The hummers in the pics are not all of the same bird. The hummer feeding on the Skyflower appears to be an immature male but which one I know not. 🙂
The last pic is of the little hummer snagging/shagging an insect. (“In baseball, shagging is the act of catching fly balls in the outfield outside the context of an actual baseball game.[1] This is most commonly done by pitchers during batting practice before the ball game,[2] where they assist their hitting teammates by catching or picking up their batted baseballs and throwing them back to the pitching area in the infield. Batboys also help shagging baseballs, and it is reportedly considered a great honor among batboys to be asked to do this.”) {Source Wikepedia} You can see its long tongue that grabbed perhaps a fly, mosquito, gnat, or whatever. I like that pic a lot and will probably never get another one of the bird’s tongue reaching out to feed without moving its body. A stunning aspect of nature. 🙂
Note: Linda of Shore Acres http://shoreacres.wordpress.com/ included the Shag video in her comment and I have taken the liberty to include it in this post. The dance is great entertainment to watch. Be sure to check out Linda’s blog as a source for some fascinating reading and information. She is an excellent writer.
A “hover around” feeding on Mexican Bush Sage. A female or immatire Black chinned or Ruby throated Hummingbird. I believe it to be a Black Chinned but I could be very wrong. I don’t have all the field ID marks. There were 2 hummers who fought over the flowers until one flew away.
This hummer sat on a dead sunflower branch and shagged skeeters or other insects as they swamed nearby. Fascinating to watch.
A humdinger feeding on Skyflower (Duranta) A plant that has been one of THE BEST for attracting butters and hummers.
Black chinned or Ruby throated Hummingbird (female or immature)
A humdinger feeding on Mexican Bush Sage
These species very difficult to identify. I’ve tried for days comparing pics and field notes and still have no identity.
Immature or a female Black chinned or Ruby Throated Hummingbird. Very difficult to identify positively
Pets, People and, Life 