Over 10 gallons a week…..

The people at Costco think I must have a really sweet tooth – I buy several 5lb bags of sugar a week! Right now, the hummingbird population around the property must be over 150. My hummingbird photography workshops are in full swing, and we are getting some great images. I am producing well over 10 gallons of sugar water a week – I have around a dozen 72oz feeders out, each needing to be refilled about every other day. It is astonishing how much these birds drink!

It should be noted that the feeder above is my recommended Best1 72oz feeder. These are industrial sized, and easy to clean. See this page for more details. It should also be noted that there are only 8 feeding ports on the base! There are at least 11 hummingbirds perched at the feeder – taking it in turns to dip their beaks into the feeding holes – it is comical to watch. My observed record is 15 actually perched on one feeder…

There are a couple of species above – the prevalent Anna’s Hummingbird and the feisty Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbird. Males and females of both species are present.

The above shot was taken with a Canon 7D, through a Canon 100-400mm zoom lens on a Gitzo tripod, with a Wimberly Sidekick mounted on an Arca Swiss Monoball. The distance to the feeder was about 10 feet, and the shot was taken remotely with a wireless remote release.

Below are some recent shots taken at the natural light setup that students can use during any workshop they are attending. I have created an artificial pond/fountain, and surround it with seed and suet feeders. The songbirds just love it.

A finch of some description

A California Thrasher

Mexican Scrub Jay

Another finch

The ubiquitous House Finch (female). Every season we have at least a dozen nesting pairs of these birds. They insist on building nests in the most ridiculous locations – on top of exterior light fittings, precarious ledges above doors and so on. About half of the nests get destroyed by natural causes – wind especially. About half of the hatched chicks end up falling from the nest. Not the sharpest tools in the shed, these guys.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 8th, 2011 at 1:58 am. It is filed under Featured, Hummingbird Photography, Hummingbird Photography Workshops. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.