Male Black-chinned Hummingbird stretching his right wing – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 2500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Yesterday morning I had a blast photographing a male Black-chinned Hummingbird high in the Wasatch Mountains even though the light was horrible. There were clouds. Plenty of them. And the temps were on the chilly side because of the cold front that recently dropped snow onto the mountains.
The hummingbirds I found were active though and my Nikon D500 handles low light well.
Male Black-chinned Hummingbird jumping above a perch – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 2500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I made the best of the light I had to photograph this little flying jewel as he defended his territory and what appeared to be his favorite perch. I even photographed him jumping into the air.
Black-chinned Hummingbird male with both wings stretched out – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 2500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
And as he settled back onto the perch with his wings wide open and color showing on his flashy gorget. The gorget of male Black-chinned Hummingbirds looks purple when the light angle is just right. Even though the light was low yesterday I did catch some iridescence in some of my photos of this hummingbird.
Black-chinned Hummingbird male on a cool spring morning – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1/1600, ISO 2500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
That iridescence doesn’t always show and when it doesn’t the males of this species appear to have a back chin hence their common name.
Male Black-chinned Hummingbird perched on an old willow branch – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/320, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
They also appear to have a black throat as well as their chins. This little male Black-chinned Hummingbird perched in several locations as he kept an eye on his territory, his food source and a nearby female.
Resting male Black-chinned Hummingbird in spring – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
He kept coming back to this perch frequently enough that I suspect it is his favorite. The top of this dead willow branch isn’t very large in diameter. That seems to be perfect for his tiny hummingbird feet.
Male Black-chinned Hummingbird tilting his head – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
The male Black-chinned Hummingbird looked around often as he watched for intruders. The few times other male hummingbirds flew in to his territory he chased them off quickly.
Male Black-chinned Hummingbird sticking out his tongue – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Then he’d fly back in to land on his favorite perch where he preened, rested, cleaned his bill, fluffed his feathers and stuck his tongue out.
Black-chinned Hummingbird lifting his wings – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 1600, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
The low light conditions did make it hard to photograph the male Black-chinned Hummingbird while he hovered and fed on the nectar of the wildflowers. Most of the photos I took of him as he fed weren’t as sharp as the images I took of him perched.
Male Black-chinned Hummingbird resting on a thin branch – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 1600, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
As challenging as it was to keep up with the male hummingbird’s movements in and around his territory in the flat lighting it was also rewarding to capture sharp images of him.
Head on male Black-chinned Hummingbird – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 1600, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I especially liked this head on photo of the male Black-chinned Hummingbird. The purple iridescence of his gorget showed nicely and his slightly opened, long slender bill looked foreshortened and stubby because of his head on pose.
Black-chinned Hummingbird male showing his gorget – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 1600, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I took hundreds of images of this male Black-chinned Hummingbird in the low light conditions and I was pleased with dozens and dozens of the resulting images. When it came time to leave I thanked this little male and I was grateful I spent time with him high in the mountains on a cloudy morning.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Black-chinned Hummingbird photos plus facts and information about this species.
Spectacular! I’m always blown away by their small legs, especially when they have taken them
up like landing gear on an airplane. These are some of the marvels of our beautiful world.
Thanks Mia.
These are all beautiful shots! They are amazing. I have learned so much the last few years about their behavior and vocalizations. It just baffles me a bird in that size is so feisty and has such a memory for detail.
These are wonderful shots, especially given the low light.
What an absolute beauty – from any angle. Thank you.
Wow.
It is nice to have such a plethora of riches among your photos, but vexing when it comes down to deciding on which to spend your time processing. These are beautiful photos in such a variety of poses and exposures of its gorget.
Low light or not, a wonderful series of photos.