Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Selasphorus platycercus: Immature Male
I typically shoot hummingbirds using five, flash unites to
stop some of the wing motion and to light an artificial background. But this bird was shot without flash while approaching a
feeder at the general viewing platform at the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon.
As I watched the hummingbirds zip back and forth to the
feeder the strong backlighting illuminated the wings, making there circular
motion visually apparent. I was
mesmerized by the swirling, helicopter like motion of the wings, and had to get
a photo.
As the hummer zipped to the feed to lap-up the sugar water
it would feed for a moment, then back away for a few seconds. As it backed away from the feeder I shot a
burst of five or six images. This image
captured the figure eight, front to back and up and down, motion used by hummer
as they hovers.
Though I used a 1/250 second shutter speed the lower body is
blurred as well, while the head and bill are relatively sharp. This shows that the body itself is also in
rapid motion as well.
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/250 sec. @ f6.3, Gitzo
Tripod, Arca Swiss Monoball head.
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