Tracking a moving bird as it weaves its way in and of vegetation is a real challenge for a photographer and it seems almost miraculous when you manage to get any shots in focus. My skills were definitely tested last weekend when I spotted a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) in a patch of trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) at my local marshland park.
I did manage to get a few clear shots in which there were no branches between me and the hummingbird, but mostly I tried to find little windows among the branches through which I could get a view of a part of the bird. I was standing on a boardwalk when I took these shots, so there was not much room for to maneuver to get better angles of view. Additionally, the trumpet vines were a pretty good distance away, so I had to crank out my telephoto zoom and even then had to crop the images.
I don’t often see hummingbirds, so I was happy to capture some shots of this beautiful bird as it flitted from flower to flower.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I am continually amazed at your skills! Love the pollen on the hummingbird’s head. Yes, they are so hard to capture in still shots. Love your work! Keep it up! And the Great Blue Heron is my FAVORITE bird.
Thanks so much for your kind words. I have grown to love walking in nature and really enjoy trying to capture what I see. If Great Blue Herons are your favorite bird, keep watching the blog, because I regularly feature shots of them.
These are excellent shots Mike. Both the flower and bird working together just as they were meant to.
Stunning images! I just saw my first hummingbird of this summer yesterday. They are speedy, unpredictable little lighters so the skill involved in getting such clear, focused, detailed images as you have is just incredible.
Nice work to overcome the obstacles. I especially like the first photo where it becomes an extension of the flower.
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You’ve done so well Mike! A fleety gorgeous bird, showy trumpet flowers and all this despite the undergrowth which makes so hard to focus on what matters. Very nice work!
Fantastic shots, Mike! We don’t have hummingbirds here and so I’m particularly fascinated by pics of these beautiful whizzy birds.
Thanks. There is only one species of Hummingbird where I live and I only rarely see one. (I suspect that people with hummingbird feeders see them more often.) I enjoy the challenge of trying to capture their beauty in motion.
These are awesome Mike! And the one with his head buried in the flower? Priceless!
Thanks, Emily.
[…] season, but thought that I would reprise a photo from an August 2015 blog posting entitled “Hummingbird and trumpet vine.” Click on the link to see some additional photos of hummingbirds feeding on trumpet vines […]
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