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Black-chinned Hummingbir

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted October 20, 200992 views13 comments

Archilochus alexandri

I could be wrong on the ID, if I am please correct me.

Moving to Utah has given me some new birds to photograph, some of them even in the backyard! Image taken August 29, 2009. The hummingbird was attracted by a feeder.

D200, f6.3, 1/160, ISO 400, 200-400mm w/1.4x TC, Gitzo CF tripod with Black Widow head, natural light.

My first hummingbird post on NPN.

As always, I sincerely appreciate your comments & critiques, thank you for looking.

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Jonathan Lent on October 20, 2009 at 2:04 PM

Very nice "1st" hummingbird post Lia. Like the comp and detail. Well done.

Registered on March 12, 2009, 44 Posts, 109 Comments

Comment posted by Larry Fischer on October 20, 2009 at 2:36 PM

Great detail. Was this a Nikkor lens? At first I thought the background color might hinder the subject. But, I think it actually adds to it. Rooting hummingbirds are hard to find. Nice capture. the fisch

Registered on July 28, 2008, 155 Posts, 874 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on October 20, 2009 at 2:45 PM

Larry

Yes, this was a Nikkor lens and Nikkor TC, and thanks for the comment!

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Carrie O'Brien-Sib on October 20, 2009 at 2:54 PM

Lia, this is absolutely breathtaking! The detail and color are superb! Great photo!

COS

Registered on August 4, 2009, 149 Posts, 889 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on October 20, 2009 at 3:20 PM

An exceptionally nice photo, Lia. Wonderful background, razor-sharp detail in the bird and a nicely cocked head. Your usual impeccable techs. A great first HB post.

ID: I'd go with a Black-chinned. The white rectrices peeking out are a pretty good key. Subadult male or a female; I'm not good enough to tell them apart. I look forward to Richard's thoughts.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on October 20, 2009 at 3:30 PM

Thanks Jim, I am a little wobbly yet on hummingbird ID in Utah. I emailed Rich and asked him if he thought I was correct. Back in FL hummingbird ID was fairly easy except for the uncommon vists from Anna's and Rufous that would show up the only one we had was Ruby-throated.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on October 20, 2009 at 4:55 PM

No surprised you posted an avian shot--am that you never posted a HB shot before!

This is great Lia--i love the well matched fg/bg colors, and the great angular pose of the bird!

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on October 20, 2009 at 5:05 PM

Even after 15 years in AZ I have trouble with hummingbirds that aren't adult males. But what I see here is a good fit for Black-chinned.

I always turn to a specialty identification guide for troublesome families of birds, like Sheri Williamson's Hummingbirds of North America in the Peterson series. I've heard many good things about the Steve Howell field guide on hummingbirds but haven't yet bought a personal copy.

Williamson describes the adult female Black-chinned as follows:

dull green to golden-green above, forecrown dull gray to grayish tan, blending to dull green on hindcrown. ... Cheek dull gray, lores dusky. ... Tail ... extends slightly beyond wingtips.

Also, for all Black-chinned:

Small, compact, with medium to long, slightly to moderately decurved black bill ..

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Windom on October 20, 2009 at 6:22 PM

Excellent choice of aperture for this....the bird is sharp and the BG completely OOF and not at all distracting. Nice.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 176 Posts, 2302 Comments

Comment posted by Miro Susta on October 21, 2009 at 2:26 AM

Very cute, fantastic pose & BG. Well done Lia.

Registered on August 18, 2006, 719 Posts, 3736 Comments

Comment posted by Kathy Odiorne on October 24, 2009 at 10:16 PM

Excellent, Lia. Perfect background and DOF.

Kathy

Registered on November 1, 2003, 211 Posts, 1471 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on November 10, 2009 at 6:27 PM

A beauty, Lia... and you didn't have to get sand-belly either.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Cliff Forrest on December 6, 2009 at 12:13 AM

Hi Mia,
That's the best humming birdie photo I've ever seen. I see you've changed from the 80-400 to the 200-400. Great lens, isn't it. Since getting mine I haven't been able to afford food. How about you? I've read other people saying that teleconverters don't work so well, especially on zooms. They wouldn't know it by this photo.
Nice!!!

-Cliff

Registered on March 3, 2009, 51 Posts, 78 Comments