Hummingbirds For Mom

Archive for the ‘Hummingbird Pictures’ Category

Anna's Hummingbird feeding at a pink flower

The Anna’s Hummingbird is the most common hummingbird found in Southern California. it was originally only found on the Pacific slope from Baja California to San Francisco. This bird has increased its population and expanded its breeding range in recent years to Vancouver, British Colombia, east to southern Arizona. The expansion is believed to be explained by the introduction of exotic flowering plants, especially Eucalyptus, red-hot-poker and tree tobacco,and by the proliferation of hummingbird feeders.

Here are a few more facts about the Anna’s Hummingbird. They have an unusually early breeding season. It is believed that the gooseberry plant and the hummingbird have evolved together, which may help explain why the red gooseberry is a favorite native food source of the Anna’s Hummingbird. This species of hummingbird also consumes more insects than any other North American hummingbirds, catching small flying insects on the wing in the manner of a flycatcher, or by hover-gleaning among the leaves and twigs of trees. Or they find sustenance at the sap wells of sapsuckers or by pilfering insects from the webs of spiders. The Anna’s Hummingbird eats more arthropods than most hummingbirds.

Someone recently asked me what is the largest hummingbird species found in the United States? I must admit that I did not know the answer at the time this question was asked of me. This prompted me to do some research so that I could return to my friend with the correct answer to their question. Here is what I discovered as a result of my research.

The Blue-throated Hummingbird is the largest hummingbird species found in the United States. It is three times larger then the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, weighing an astounding 7.6 grams. This species of hummingbird measures 5 inches long and has an 8 inch wingspan.

The bird is uniformly gray below, with a bronze rump and an oversized blackish tail with large white corners. It is not easy to see the blue on the male’s throat, despite the hummingbird’s name. Relative of the Blue-throated Hummingbird, the Amethyst-throated Hummingbird and others, typically have plumage showing a higher degree of sexual dimorphism, and more extensive iridescence.

A Blue-throated Hummingbird at a flower

All factual information contained in this post comes from the National Audubon Society and I wish to give proper credit for the information found here.

In this post you will see a photo of a Broad-tailed Hummingbird as well as discovering a few facts about this particular species of hummingbird.

A Broad-tailed Hummingbird feeding at a flower

When in flight, the male Broad-tailed Hummingbird’s wings make a cricket-like whistling sound.

It is a female Broad-tailed Hummingbird which holds the North American age record, 12 years old. This is far older then the average hummingbird which usually only lives between 3-4 years.

The females of this species of hummingbird are larger then the males. The female weighs 3.6 grams while the male only weighs 3.16 grams.

The Broad-tailed hummingbird is observed in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, and Manitoba. They are known to winter in Mexico.

Hummingbirds move so quickly that it is often difficult or almost impossible to capture that ever elusive photograph that you desire.  Successfully accomplishing this task will likely take a great deal of time and willingness to wait before your efforts will be rewarded, so you may as well be comfortable while you do so.  This post will offer some suggestions on things that you can do to get closer to the hummingbirds you want to photograph and how to be comfortable while taking the photographs you desire.

The use of a portable “outhouse” type of hummingbird blind can be quite helpful.  This type of blind is commonly called a “hide.”  This allows you to remain out of sight of the hummingbird and thus you will be far less likely to startle the bird with your actions.

The blind should be placed between the feeder and the sun in the late evening so you will not have to worry about the feeder being in the shade.

The blind should be up at least a day before you take the photos. This will allow the birds will become used to it being there. There is no time limit as to how long the blind can remain up, as long as the birds remain in your area.

Keep this in mind, sudden movement or motion startles hummingbirds. That is why the use of a hummingbird blind is useful when trying to take photos of hummingbirds because your movements will be far less likely to startle the hummingbirds and you will therefore be more likely to capture the hummingbird photograph you desire.