birdsgeorgia

The hummingbirds are becoming more and more active these days. It seems as though they are everywhere zooming around the yard chasing each other. They’re fun to watch yet challenging to photograph.

We have a row of Leyland Cypress trees flanking the hummingbird feeder this year. The hummers love to rest and stretch on the branches before swooping into the feeder for food.

As cute as these little garden fairies are, hummingbirds are territorial creatures, keeping close guard over their spot at the feeder. They are fast, furious and very feisty when it comes to protecting their food source.

I could probably place another feeder in the yard and that might help to ward off some of the fighting. But, quite honestly, I don’t think that will help much. Besides, they’re very entertaining to watch as they chase each other making what sounds like a heckling laugh. I’ve seen three (3) at one time chasing each other but have only been able to shoot these two (2).

August is the month when hummingbirds get even more active as they build their strength and prepare for their migration back to Mexico and Central America. Hopefully, I’ll be able to capture some more shots of their adventures before they leave.

Until next time,

~donna

If you’ve followed along with my blog for a while, you know that one of my all-time favorite bird is the hummingbird. They are cute, swift and very challenging to photograph.

Except for the occasional scout, they were a little late showing up to the garden this year. But finally, this past Monday we had an emerald green hummer land on our feeder.

As you might imagine, Hummingbirds get their name from the humming sound their wings make when in flight. They hover at rapid wing-flapping rates, which vary from around 12 beats per second in the largest species to 99 per second in small hummingbirds (source: Wikipedia).

The feathers on a hummingbird don’t come from a specific pigment. Instead, the top layer contains prism-like cells that reflect the light (source: Hummingbird Info). Look how shiny and multicolored this little guy is.

I’m a little rusty when it comes to capturing these cute garden fairies in flight. Normally, they fly at a speed of 25 – 30 miles per hour and when threatened they have a burst speed of 30 – 50 miles per hour (source: Hummingbird 101).

This was a lucky shot of this guy getting ready to leave the feeder.

I hope you enjoyed the fun facts about hummingbirds, today. Rest assured there will be more posts this summer of these beautiful creatures so stay tuned.

Until next time, have a great week and keep humming along.

~donna