Ruby-Throated Hummingbird on his Perch at Castellow Hammock Preserve, Miami, Florida

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Jan Nagalski and I had been terribly disappointed with the birding at Everglades National Park, and we decided to check and see what else was available in the area. Jan found the Castellow Hammock Preserve on his cell phone and in desperation we decided to give it a try. I was very pleasantly surprised. After being in the park for a few minutes I saw a couple with camera and binoculars inspecting a large clump of shrubs that I think were bougainvillea. A cursory inspection of the clump showed about a half dozen Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds working the shrubs. So, with a large telephoto I began to shoot the hummingbirds. In this shot the hummer’s throat displays only a hint of what it will soon be – a blaze of orange red iridescence that will dazzle all the ladies within sight. I have shot hummingbirds before, but always at feeders and I was not ready for the difficulties associated with photographing the tiny, fast and unpredictably moving birds as they bussed from one flower to another. Thanks to technology for digital cameras, auto-focus and burst shooting. Even these technological wonders made it only barely possible to accomplish the job. The other part of the job is plowing through hundreds of photographs to glean from them a tiny number of acceptable images from those destined for the scrap pile.
The ruby-throated hummingbird is a species of hummingbird that generally spends the winter in Central America, Mexico, and Florida, and migrates to Canada and other parts of Eastern North America for the summer to breed. It is the most common hummingbird in eastern North America, having population estimates of about 35 million in 2021.
This hummingbird is from 2.8 to 3.5 inches (7 to 9 cm) long and has a 3.1 to 4.3 inches (8 to 11 cm) wingspan. Weight can range from 0.071 to 0.212 ounces (2 to 6 g), with males averaging 0.12 ounces (3.4 g) against the slightly larger female which averages 0.13 ounces (3.8 g). Adults are metallic green above and grayish white below, with near-black wings. Their bill, at up to 0.79 inches (2 cm), is long, straight, and slender. Close-up of toe arrangement in a ruby-throated hummingbird foot, showing three claw-like toes forward and one backward. Hummingbird legs are short with no knees and have feet with three toes pointing forward and one backward. The toes are formed as claws with ridged inner surfaces to aid gripping onto flower stems or petals. The ruby-throated hummingbird can only shuffle to move along a branch, though it can scratch its head and neck with its feet. The species is sexually dimorphic. The adult male has a throat patch of iridescent ruby red bordered narrowly with velvety black on the upper margin and a forked black tail with a faint violet sheen. The red iridescence is highly directional and appears dull black from many angles. The female has a notched tail with outer feathers banded in green, black, and white and a white throat that may be plain or lightly marked with dusky streaks or stipples. Males are smaller than females and have slightly shorter bills. Juvenile males resemble adult females, though usually with heavier throat markings. The plumage is molted once a year on the wintering grounds, beginning in early fall and ending by late winter.
Info above was extracted from Wikipedia.

Taken in: United States / Florida / Aladdin City (show map)

Taken on: April 17, 2024

Tags:

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Hummingbird, Ruby-Throated

Hummingbird

Archilochus Colubris

Throat Patch

Iridescent Ruby Red

Velvety Black

Nectar

Pollen

Castellow Hammock Preserve

Castellow

Hammock Preserve

Miami

Miami-Dade

Miami-Dade County

Florida

Paul Fernandez « less

Sets appears in: • Birds of Florida - Miscellaneous

Camera: Nikon D850, f/8.0, 0.003 sec (1/400) sec (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D850
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
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