Monday, August 9, 2010

Snatching Insects

This year I have really enjoyed watching the hummingbirds in our backyard. We have two feeders out and several hummers come to them, as well as to the flowers in our yard. We've had mostly females and young ones, making it quite hard to identify what kind they are. I know we've had some Black-chinned hummingbirds because of their distinctive habit of pumping their tails.

The bird in this image was snatching tiny insects out of mid-air, allowing me to capture it in full light. My feeders are in the shade so they're usually backlit and if I don't use a flash, good luck getting a good image. I added a filter in Adobe Lightroom 3 to this image and although the colors are not true, I love the golden look it has given this image.

If you can identify what kind of hummingbird is in this picture, feel free to leave it in a comment.





6 comments:

Birding is Fun! said...

Really great photo! I'd say 90% likely to be Black-chinned, just because, and not based on any field marks.

Kathleen said...

Thanks for the comments! I would tend to agree about your ID, since most of the ones I've seen in my yard this year pump their tails.

Bob and Robin said...

I have to agree with Idaho Birder. If you are interested in banding Hummingbiords, this Sat, 14 Aug we are meeting to caravan at the Albertsons Parkinglot at Eagle Rd and State St. We leave at 0730. Bring your camera! It might be interesting.

Kathleen said...

Thanks, Bob & Robin. I'm hoping to be there Saturday.

Erik Koffmar said...

Lovely shot of this beatiful bird. You ahve managed to capture it in a very pleasing pose.

/Erik

Kathleen said...

Thank you, Erik! I appreciate your comments and your visiting my blog.

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