Flying puff balls, I mean juvenile Hummingbirds!
I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw it perched on the lily stem…nattering away. This one has attitude already! Yeah! The juveniles are out of the nests!
The adult male wasn’t being very accommodating, so I moved the feeder where the male couldn’t guard both!
It’s flying skills were a bit shaky but everyone has to learn! It was sticking low to the ground!
The resident male has taken to guarding the flowers in front as well as his feeder! The youngsters slip in when he has darted out after someone else! Maybe they take turns!
The Cardinal Flower has been very popular!
These red flowers, Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, are popular as well, hope they overwinter. In the past they haven’t so we’ll see!
I was hoping the male would land on one of the many False Sunflowers but no go..yet!
The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are not the only ones enjoying the flowering feast! The Goldfinches are not at the feeders much but are snacking here! Great camouflage while you eat!
The grackles are still about, can those youngsters eat, or what! A new batch of Blue Jay babies are out as well! Busy mornings when the feeders go out. I am still taking them in at night after forgetting one night and having to run out in my bathrobe to chase a young black bear off at 1 in the morning. Mike heard the noise and woke me up. He banged on the metal container with a broom, naked, to scare him. The bear wasn’t convinced he should leave that strawberry jelly for the orioles, but he did finally move off as the crazy lady in her white bathrobe, a white bear, yelled at him! I should get one of those doorbell cameras for great moments like that! Ha!
We have a group of Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, adults and juveniles, visiting the feeder as well as some Purple Finches right now. I didn’t realize birds yawn…Birds yawn when they are tired, bored, or waking up to help increase oxygen levels and boost alertness. Some species yawn as a way to cool down their brains when temperatures rise. Yawns can help birds reset their jaw joints or settle food inside their crop after eating or preening. I knew it was a yawn as I started yawning as well! Why is that? Did you know the average adult yawns 20 times per day. And when you feel a yawn coming on, it can be nearly impossible to suppress! I had a Regional Sales manager that brought out the yawns in me;) Hahahaha! I think it offended him as we drove from store to store. I did try to soothe his ego by telling him cars made me yawn, well, company cars anyway, not Brut Go;)
I really miss seeing the Trumpeter swans and their family at the mailboxes. It was always something I looked forward to! Maybe next year! We did see a mother Wood Duck and her three goslings paddling around there:)
The juvenile Grosbeaks and Downy Woodpeckers have also been feasting on the honeysuckle berries! The Finches and the young chickadees have been in there as well!
Rocket says it is great CTV, Cat TV! or is That BTV, bird TV?
The other two are furry garden gnomes…lying in wait for unsuspecting chipmunks. Those that remain, the chipmunks, bear the scars of previous encounters with them, or other predators…fur missing from their tails; they are now the Einstein Chipmunks that have passed spring training camp! With the hot weather, there isn’t much chasing of anything!
A grasshopper might be in danger. It’s a hard place to find a seat even some days!?! Go photograph some bugs or hummingbirds Müther, we will guard…;) Yeah, right!
Back to hummingbirds! Ha!
They are hard to resist, and a challenge to photograph, especially among the flowers where the focus wanders in all directions, sun is needed, all the light you can get! The dark backgrounds are me shooting into our alcove, taking away some of the difficulties of focusing!
Looking for simple backgrounds makes it easier to photograph these fast little birds! My standard settings are F7.1 ISO 3200 ( I use Topaz denoise) 400-600MM at 1/6400sec or faster if there is good light! I love getting them at the flowers but I also love the study of their wings, forward and back and sideways!
I’ll leave you with the juvie…practicing diving moves, as well as using that air brake system;) Ha! Saludos amigos! Back to chasing Dragonflies;)
Great shots of the killdeer
Thanks! Right behind the gym on the grassy area. Couldn’t see any chicks but with all the dogs and cats in the area it would be a tough spot to raise a family!