I’m really very excited to share photos and a video clip of a young male Ruby-throated Hummingbird that I focused on for quite some time yesterday morning.
Young male Ruby-throated Hummingbird scratching his head – Canon R7, f8, 1/1600, ISO 800, +0.3 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light
The immature male hummingbird was cooperative because he kept returning to the same perch repeatedly. I could prefocus, and when I heard his little wings buzzing, I was ready to take photos of him.
And I did. Hundreds of them.
Immature Ruby-throated Hummingbird male with an eye on the sky – Canon R7, f8, 1/1600, ISO 800, +0.3 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light
Throughout my time with this tiny flying jewel yesterday, I noticed that he often seemed to be keeping an eye on the sky. Perhaps he heard other hummingbirds flying past on migration; I’m really not sure. But he repeated this behavior frequently.
Scratching young male Ruby-throated Hummingbird – Canon R7, f8, 1/1600, ISO 800, +0.3 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light
That is, when he wasn’t feeding on the fresh nectar in the feeder, preening, scratching, or paying attention to all the bird activity around him.
He did seem to scratch a lot. I imagine he still has new feathers coming in, and from what I understand, they can be itchy. I know my pet birds, which I had as a teen and as a young woman, scratched often when they were molting.
Young male Ruby-throated Hummingbird staring at the sky – Canon R7, f8, 1/1600, ISO 800, +0.3 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light
And this pose? I felt like I was going to get a kink in my neck just watching him. I don’t know what was going on, but he held this pose for more than a minute, though it seemed longer to me.
Maybe he was showing me his newly emerged ruby feathers on his throat?
For several days in a row now, the low temperatures have been in the upper 40s and lower 50s. I’ve already noticed a change in insect noise, it seems duller than it did just a week ago.
These Ruby-throated Hummingbirds will be taking off on migration soon. Knowing that, I decided I had better attempt to take some videos of this very confiding, beautiful little bird.
I tried not to shiver when I was taking the video but I can detect a little shake!
The little male hummingbird was a great subject for my video. What wasn’t wonderful? Barking dogs, the sound of the trash truck moving through the neighborhood, and screaming kids.
So, I removed the original sound from the video along with those distractions and replaced it with an audio file I created a few days ago using the Merlin app when it was quieter in the neighborhood.
My video, my audio, my rules! Ha.
I’m sure I’ll be sharing more photos, and possibly videos, of this charming young male Ruby-throated Hummingbird soon.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Ruby-throated Hummingbird photos plus facts and information about this species.
Terrific series of pics! Although my heart kinda went out to the little guy..all that itching makes a guy crazy. As always, the detail is exquisite. Thanks Mia.
Beautiful captures. I am out in B.C. and I also am getting my fill of these beauties before they head sound.
Beyond beautiful. If I was lucky enough to see this I would be too busy looking to take photos or videos.
You have so much fun watching the little hummers. They sure are cute. Thanks for the post and comments you made on this session.
Love the video – almost like being there. Thanks so much!
Good morning.
Your Hummingbird post inspired me to check out a bit of mythology. When I see a Hummingbird come and go in the blink of an eye it makes me think of Fairies. This made me wonder if Fairies of the Old World were actually Hummingbirds. Then I read that Hummingbirds are only found in the Americas. Finally, I found that fossils of the modern Hummingbird have been discovered in Europe. Maybe my Nordic ancestors were visited by Hummingbirds after all.
It’s great to see an immature male up close, as they are hard to distinguish. Good video!
Great pics and video! They are fascinating to watch and you captured it perfectly.