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Hummingbird Photos - SoCal

8 years ago

Inspired by ZachS's thread, I thought I go out into the garden and take a few new photos of the California hummingbirds in my garden.

Allen's Hummingbirds

Male Anna's Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird -- limited viewing, while they stop by during their migrations. I tend to hear their arrival, before seeing it.

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ZachS. z5 Platteville, Colorado

8 years ago

Nice! We have the rufous coming through and I have (or had, haven't seen her in a couple days) a female that I think chased off all the Anna's hummers that typically visit my feeders. I also BELIEVE I had a female Costa's, which would be unusual for my yard. But some of these female hummingbirds are hard for me to identify. The rufous was easy though, she was orange, haha.

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Comments (10)

FeatherBee
8 years ago
Beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing!
gyr_falcon thanked FeatherBee
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Jennifer_in_KS
8 years ago
Great photos! How fun to have such interesting birds in your own backyard.
gyr_falcon thanked Jennifer_in_KS
gyr_falcon
Original Author
8 years ago
They sure can be a challenge! Especially in an area that gets many species and wanderers, such as AZ. There is a reason even experts have to mark some counts as Selasphorus sp., for example. Proportions sometimes help with experience, but they are often not noted in id books. I can pick out the rare black-chinned that wanders through by their tiny head to body size--but I've never seen books mention it. Although Hummingbirds of North America does list some very nice details and proportions to separate id. A shame the birds are not inclined to stop long enough to allow tail-feather tip observations, and such, though!
luvofdesign
8 years ago
Love watching these busy birds in my So Cal. yard for sure! They suck down quickly the sugar h20 I prepare for them. Your pictures are awesome...what type camera did use to capture these shots?
gyr_falcon thanked luvofdesign
luvofdesign
8 years ago
Here are a couple photos I shot recently
gyr_falcon
Original Author
7 years ago
Thank you, demolition. My photos were taken using an old Nikon D50 a 70-210mm zoom--not the best system for bird photography, by far. Thank goodness for digital; I typically have to toss a number of junk photos to get keepers!

What a great view you have! Both the hummers close and the scenic overlook of a river. Nice sharing hummingbirds shot. I had to work very hard and long to get hummingbirds to share a feeder. My visitors are mostly year-round residents. I'm curious if the eastern migrants still moving are more likely to share as they pass through areas, because they would not feel the need to defend a feeder, or if they are as possessive while there as ones that stay in an area.
luvofdesign
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Well your old Nikon worked like a charm capturing the awesome shots you posted here. The water you see is a man made lake in Anaheim Ca where they keep it stocked with fish-which keeps the fishermen & fisherwomen coming back for more. By my observations of watching the hummingbirds in our yard- the dominate male birds stand guard near 'their' feeder... Fluttering their wings & chasing off any hummingbird that dare approach 'their' feeder. The younger birds tend to have better sharing manners than the more mature male
gyr_falcon
Original Author
7 years ago
Oh, you're local! I live in south OC. :-)
shorisuperstore
7 years ago
These photos are magnificent!
gyr_falcon thanked shorisuperstore

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