High pitched chirping breaks the humid air around my mountain home. I recognize the hum of the tiny wings as he comes in like a miniscule jet fighter. I’ve been sitting here all day and missed shot after shot simply because my hands were too slow to raise the camera and focus before they disappear into the thick bushes. But after a while I began to anticipate the intervals between feeder visits and when the male ruby throated hummingbird finally decided to rest a moment I was able to meet him on the branch. The opportunity didn’t last long though as a second male began to buzz the feeder. The dogfight was on! The hummingbird in tonight’s Feature Image seems to be the local dominant male and the challenger is crafty. After all day of watching it seems that the males only share the feeder with their mates and will even clear the way for them if another hummingbird appears. That also applies to female intruders. And the second male obviously knew how the dominant male would react. He buzzed around in circles a few times to get the first bird’s attention and entice him into a chase. Both hummingbirds had their red throats showing but what I had never noticed before was the blue iridescence on the underside of the feathers covering their bodies which seemed to flash in different patterns as they buzzed around my stairs. It could easily have been the way the light was hitting them as they did combat maneuvers but I had to wonder if it was a territorial signal. The second male didn’t seem to try to win the fight or escape. He even circled back a few times to allow the dominant male to stay engaged and that’s when I knew something was up. As I glanced back to the feeder I noticed the hen was leisurely sipping at the feeder while her beau provides a diversion to draw off the feeder’s guardian.
She was able to feed uninterrupted for a few minutes but eventually the dominant male caught on and broke pursuit of the decoy.
Unfortunately the depth of field was too shallow for a nice crisp view of the drama but needless to say her sneaking ways caught up with her.
Now that I’ve got an idea of what their routine is and that they’ve become a little more comfortable in my presence I hope to capture more of them.
Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.
Announcement 2.0
For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.
We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.
I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup
Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc
Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!
To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.
If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.
https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/embed/#?secret=ZBipPVJdZw
Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?
I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.
LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 