Interesting Visual Structures

​

​

Archilochus Colubris

August 2018

 

​

Intrigued by a good friend's photographs, I felt like challenging myself to a new adventure...

I have spent 162 hours in 38 days photographing and observing the behavior of the ruby-throated hummingbird ( Archilochus colubris ) in the summer of 2018.

During this period, I identified 8 individuals visiting our garden. One of which had developed a strong defensive territorial behavior.

This particular bird, a young male with two orange dots on his throat rigorously observed all activity around the feeder and would chase away any intruder.

Therefore I named him Radar.

The other birds worked out quite an impressive strategy ...

A few figured out that an individual conflict with him had little to no result .

Hoping not to be spotted, they found hiding areas on our peach tree or the grapevine but didn't approach the feeder.

When Radar got busy chasing the other birds,.. a tiny, grey-chested juvenile male ( Mr. Grey) would quickly sneak in and have a few drinks until Radar's return.

Though very systematic, most of them quickly adjust to changes. Moving the feeder just one single foot or covering one of the feeding spots will disturb them and there's a learning curve in developing a new route.

Turns out that Radar found changes difficult to get accustomed to and several times returned, hovering above the covered hole instead of looking for other options.

Indeed,..the strongest isn't always necessary the brightest :) That's pretty much it about Radar, other than the fact that he has visibly gotten fat,..very fat !

A very tiny, nearly black feathered male with a gorgeous orange throat (Mr. Redneck) was a rare visitor. He would seldom show up, usually towards late afternoon every 3rd or 4th day and was probably the most challenging to photograph due to his reclusive and quick to scare behavior.

Skittish to any movement, made it quite challenging to work with.

The only adult female, " Ms. Maplewood " had a beautiful white chest and bright eyes.

Just as Mr. Redneck,..she hardly honored us with her presence. My personal favorite is Mr. Grey,.. the above mentioned juvenile male turned out to be simply adorable.

By the end of our adventure he had gotten accustomed enough to my presence that I could stay less than 2 feet away from the feeder and he would still come to feed.

Watching such a small soul hovering around and enjoying the sweet nectar is just overwhelming.

Exhausting heat, dehydration , mosquito and fire ant bites, constantly moving clouds that would affect light conditions, choosing optimal backgrounds, compromising between speed /available light/ ISO settings , overheating camera, cushioning my gear to muffle the shutter's noise and last but not least - having the subjects in focus were among the technical and circumstantial difficulties I encountered. Having spent over a month, day by day with these magnificent birds, I had the opportunity to learn a lot about them and they somehow grew close to my heart .

Their ability to hover, maneuver and the jet-sounding speed they chase each other around with never becomes boring to observe. I still believe that they would live longer if fought less and ate more :)

Getting close to the end of the season, I can only hope to see them again next year.

Abbey D. Gatto / Interesting Visual Structures © 2018