To get good hummer shots, you need a fast shutter speed, which means you need a lens that can give you a really big aperture--and those lenses are expensive. You also need good, bright light, so I have to wait for a sunny day. Focusing becomes an issue as the little devils move so quickly, so I end up putting the camera on a tripod, focusing on the feeder, and then I start shooting anytime a bird flies by. Most of what I get are furry blobs, but every so often a bird will fly by the area in focus and I get an OK shot.
This series is of a male hummer, a little fellow who guards this feeder with all of his tiny heart, warding off all would-be sippers with a thrust of his needle-sharp bill and a series of raspy alarm calls. Despite his best efforts, however, other hummers manage to slip in for a drink.
There he is! up there in the left corner above the thistle feeder!
Now he's moved around to the front, choosing his perch.
Thrusters on!
Preparing for arrival!
Ahhhh.....
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I use a Perky Pet feeder, and I take off all the hoohaas like the yellow wasp cages (they can come loose and get stuck on the hummer's bills) and the goofy flower-shaped cups (they just collect nectar and water and bugs and poo). Also, I make my own nectar from baker's sugar (dissolves easily in tap water) and I don't add any coloring--the birds do just fine without it, and it's possible that it's not good for them.
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This is the time of year when they're stocking up for their long trip south, so we're going through about 2 cups of nectar a day between our two feeders. When the hummers are gone, you can be sure that the frosts are not far behind.
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