Bookfool's Photoblog
Silly Tuesday - Hummingbird Spit (Costa Rica #10)
Posted by Bookfool (Mississippi, United States) on 5 May 2009 in Animal & Insect and Portfolio.
Well. That was unexpected. This particular photo is out of sequence because I thought it was nice and silly.
Sorry for my brief absence. I had to step away from the computer for a few days. My rear end was going numb and my brain was fogged. Sometimes you just have to shut the computer off for a few days to recover.
mats from Texas, United States
:-) Beautiful bird, look how shiny those colorful feathers are.
5 May 2009 5:28am
@mats: He was really much more spectacular than the colors I managed to capture. The bird life in Costa Rica is startling.
Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada
LOL excellent, what super timing and luck! Wow I love this Booky, it's delicious oh lol
5 May 2009 6:45am
@Lorraine: It all has to do with my excellent instincts for catching the disgusting in motion (drooling, scratching, showing off bad teetch, etc.). Why some of us end up doing that is beyond me. LOL Thanks, Rainy!
Linerberry from Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand
OMG this is a superb capture and wow...amazing!!!! Thank you for being a Silly Billy in a superb way,,,,hehehehehe love the shot!!!
5 May 2009 6:48am
@Linerberry: Thanks, Caroline! Birds make great Silly Tuesday fodder, don't they?
P J W Miller from Chase Terrace, United Kingdom
Nevertheless a very nice close up image of this bird
5 May 2009 7:11am
@P J W Miller: Aw, thanks. I was so surprised when I saw him spitting and realized I'd actually captured the little fellow doing so.
@Ravi: You don't have to go far to get a hummingbird photo in Costa Rica. They're really everywhere! But, I did have a 100-300mm zoom lens (also known in some corners as "cheating"). :)
djedfre from schaumburg, United States
very nice capture! did he make a sound when he did that?
5 May 2009 9:03am
@djedfre: I don't think so. I really didn't realize what he'd done till I was checking my photos to see if I needed to adjust settings. There were quite a few different varieties of hummingbirds and some of them were very noisy. They didn't hum -- they made what I would call a clicking sound. He spit quietly, though. LOL
Judy from Brooksville, Florida, United States
This is a spectacular image of a silly-looking but beautiful bird!
How on earth did you get this close? Maybe they're used to visiting photographers in Costa Rica?
5 May 2009 1:09pm
@Judy: Cheated. 100-300mm lens. But, seriously, they were everywhere and I'm surprised I never had to duck. I've been buzzed by hummingbirds, here. When they go right past your ear, it's more than a little discombobulating.
@Heather: Thank you!
Lesley from Lincoln, United States
Outstanding!!!!! Five stars, Nancy. This is magnificent.
5 May 2009 3:33pm
@Lesley: Why, thank you, Les. You would love, love, love the wildlife in Costa Rica. Maybe not the roads, though . . .
@Mariana: Thank you!
@Onlymehdi: LOL! Thanks!
peter from new york, United States
a crisp shot with great dof. what's he eating?!?
5 May 2009 9:42pm
@peter: He's not eating, he's spitting. This particular hummingbird was very active. He'd suck on nectar and then come back and feed another bird that was sitting on a branch, nearby. There was a nest in that particular shrub, but I can't say whether he was feeding a baby (because if he was, it sure was a big baby) or the mama. I think maybe he overdid it. He'd feed the other bird a little and then spit, suck up more nectar, fly around, feed the other bird, spit. It was really quite fascinating to watch.
@Richard_Irwin: Thank you. They are adorable little birds and loads of fun to observe and photograph.
Susan from Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States
Perfect catch of this guy!!!! great for tuesday!!
5 May 2009 11:46pm
@Susan: Thank you! Pretty silly, isn't it? ;)
Magda from Vancouver, Canada
Fantastic capture! Wonderful detail and colour. Great shot for Silly Tuesday! :)
6 May 2009 4:15am
willow from Chelsea, United States
Wow! Unexpected and perfectly timed shot! And, yes, silly as well.
7 May 2009 1:57am
Sony DSLR-A700
1/200 second
F/5.6
ISO 500
450 mm (35mm equiv.)