During a short visit to Green Spring Gardens yesterday I was thrilled not only to see some Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris), but also to get some shots of at least one of them. I am not sure that a 180mm macro lens is optimal for this subject, but it worked, albeit with a need for an often significant crop of the original images.
Even though it was over 90 degrees (32 degrees C) when I set out, I felt a need to get out of the house, stretch my legs, and shoot a little. I chose this county-run historic garden because it is not far from where I live and I knew it had some shady areas. I expected to be photographing mostly insects and flowers, so my trusty 180mm macro lens was affixed to my camera.
As I was chasing some little dragonflies in one patch of flowers, I remembered that I had seen hummingbirds in this same patch a few years ago. Recently I have seen some awesome shots of hummingbirds on Facebook taken by local photographers at this garden, so I was certainly aware I might spot the speedy little birds. Once I spotted a hummingbird flitting among the flowers, I decided to stay at this spot and see if I too could capture a shot.
This sun-lit patch of flowers was long and narrow and the hummingbird would make short forays into one part of it and then would fly up into the shade of a tall tree. I never could establish if I was seeing a single hummingbird, which looked to be a female, or if there were multiple hummingbirds taking turns.
As you can see from the photos below, the hummingbird gave attention to a variety of different flowers, none of which I can identify for sure—maybe that is bee balm in the second shot. I have read that hummingbirds prefer red-colored flowers, but this hummingbird did not seem to discriminate on the basis of color. It is interesting to see how the hummingbird’s approach varied a little depending on the characteristics of the flower, such as the length of the tubular section into which the hummingbird inserted its long, thin bill.
Be sure to click on the final photo and you will see that the hummingbird is using its tiny feet to perch on an unopened flower to get greater leverage and a better angle of attack. You’ll also see a little bee in flight that had been disturbed by the hummingbird’s efforts.
When I returned home, I saw an amazing close-up hummingbird photo on Facebook taken earlier that morning on the same bluish-purple flowers that you see in my final photo. When I asked the photographer how far away he was when he took his photo, he said he was at the minimum focusing distance of his lens—15 feet (457 cm)—so I suspect he was shooting with a 600mm lens. I think that I might have been at the same distance when I took my shot.
Periodically I think about purchasing one of those monster lenses, but am somewhat deterred by the $12,999 price tag for the newest Canon 600mm lens and by its weight and size. All in all, I am quite content with the results I get from my current camera gear, including these images of hummingbirds in July.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I love the bee that you captured, Mike.
Maybe that lens will go on sale for $12,499, you never know.
Thanks, Dan. I already have that distance covered with my Tamron 150-600mm zoom lens, which is usually the one I use for birds. It is not as fast and sharp as the Canon big one, but was “only” around $1,000 when I got it several years ago, and it a lot easier to carry around with me.
Beautiful shots. Stick with the Tamron. It’s actually a very good lens.
I may upgrade from the original Tamron 150-600mm, which is pretty beat up, to the G2 model, which has a host of improvements, but I doubt that I will even get one of the Canon big lenses.
The Sigma sport 150 – 600 might be a compromise. More expensive, and significantly better. But still way, way, way less than the Canon.
I may look at the Sigma Sport, but several of my friends have tried it and found it to be too heavy for everyday use if handholding, 6.3. pounds vs 4.4 pounds for Tamron G2.
There is that. I have the Tamron 100-400 mm for travel and walking around and the Nikon 200-500, which I called the beast, for heavy duty work. And I do mean heavy duty. It plus body are almost 8 pounds.
Wonderful photographs, Mike!
Little “flying jewels”.
As one of the “enthusiastic amateur” photographers, it’s difficult to justify that much money for a lens upgrade. I shall continue to tell myself that just the joy of observing nature is enough. Sigh …..
Thanks, Wally. In many ways, it’s more than the money–it’s a question of shooting style. I like to walk around and shoot handheld or sometimes with a monopod. Having a big, heavy tripod usually means you have to also carry a pretty stable tripod. Going through thickets and marshes and jumping over little streams might no longer be possible/desirable. I’m quite content to keep my gear at the lower end of cost/features and then take perverse joy in getting photos that come close to rivaling the shots of photographers with significantly more expensive gear. 🙂
Nice set of the hummers, Mike! It’s always fun to watch these little fellows and what goes on around them.
We haven’t been out much in this heat, over 90 every day for the last 35, other years there have been some breaks…at least that’s how I remember it!
I think we are supposed to be better next week. The month of July has been relentless. Here in the DC area, we had only two days this month that didn’t make 90, and they were 86 and 87.
That break will be when the tropical storm/hurricane comes barreling by! We hope it barrels by, anyhow. Still a bit far out to know our prospects. This has been an intense summer weather-wise.
Indeed it has been. We’ve had quite a number of thunderstorms in the later afternoon/evening recently, a consequence, I suspect, of the really hot weather we have been having.
I don’t know what the flowers are in that final shot but they’re pretty. Nice shots!
Wow! I’ve been watching the hummingbirds a lot. Beautiful captures. ❣️
Thanks. They sure are fun to watch as they zip all around, but a little tough to capture in a photograph.
I love watching hummingbirds visit my flower gardens and when they fly by so fast squeaking noisily, I think I’m being buzzed by a fighter jet! 😉
Great captures, Mike!
Thanks, Eliza. It takes some patience, but it is possible to get shots of these little fighter jets. 🙂
Really cool! I swear, these creatures just come to you! 💕
We have hummingbirds coming to our bee balm but I have yet to photograph them. You made some nice captures, Mike.
Thanks, Steve. You can’t photograph everything all of the time. It’s nice to know the hummingbirds are there when you are ready for them. Even watching them in action, I’ve found, can be a lot of fun.
Yes, that is true and why I did not beat myself up for no Neowise images. 🙂
That last shot is beauty Mike!
As for big glass you have your 150-600, only a very wealthy, un-married, professional with massive muscles should be spending £12k on a lens.
When I get our new house renovations done (when!) I’m treating myself to a Sigma 150-600 contemporary.
Thanks. I do meet some of your criteria for spending on a big Canon lens, but as I mentioned to someone else, I am not ready to change my style of shooting. I prefer to walk around a lot and need something I can carry with pretty easily. Plus I would have to treat something that expensive too carefully. It’s the same reason why I don’t drive an expensive car–I don’t want to have to worry about little scratches and scrapes.
Nice Mike! Always fun to see & photograph hummers! I was looking at the 800mm f/11 R lens for a lightweight carry around lens just for the R, but then thought why. My Tamron 150-600mm works well with a 1.4x or 2x teleconverter and still autofocuses on a Canon R. On the 1 series Canons, I am limited to a 1.4x on the Tamron. Plus if you shoot Raw files you can get even more detail and cleaner files with the Raw adjustments. With any teleconverter you may lose a little detail but with Camera Raw adjustments you would not notice that much of a difference. But takes some practice to not overdo Raw settings.
There is always new gear to tempt us. I shoot RAW almost all of the time and there are almost endless ways to tweak the images. I do worry about overdoing it, especially when it comes to saturation and sharpening. I sometimes see images that have been processed so heavily that they no longer look natural.
They are absolutely stunning shots, Mike! Well done!
Thanks, Pete.
I love photo sessions with hummingbirds and am really missing them this summer. New Zealand lacks not only hummingbirds, but also other specialized flower pollinators, including long-tongued bees and hawkmoths (this from the Encyclopedia of New Zealand). There are also very few butterflies.
It says a lot about people’s priorities when they begin to list the things they miss seeing and doing because of the restrictions imposed by the current pandemic. Some miss shopping and restaurants, but you, Gary, seem to miss the outdoor experiences that you have enjoyed so much in Minnesota. It is interesting to learn about the somewhat limited bird and insect diversity there in New Zealand. That also applies to dragonflies and damselflies there, I have found, with only a total of only 14 species known to breed there.
Yes, it is a unique and endlessly fascinating microcosm here, and Nature’s ability to fill ecological niches with alternative opportunists is truly amazing.
They’re such beautiful little birds, I love hummingbirds🐦🦜🐞👍❣️❗️❣️❗️❣️❗️❣️❗️