Hummingbirds

I finally got a few pretty good hummingbird photos.   My feeder is right outside my sliding door, so it's easy to keep an eye on.  There's one bird, the one in these photos, who has taken over this feeder and won't let any other birds near it.  I guess it's pretty common for these birds to be territorial.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, I think

 

 Standing Guard

I have a camellia tree right nearby that's just starting to bloom.  When it's in full bloom I'll take a picture of it and show you, it's so pretty.  This bird perches in the tree and watches the feeder.  As soon as another hummingbird comes near, I hear this loud humming, and it's dueling hummers.  He always wins.  He takes a drink of the nectar, and goes back to his observation perch in the tree.  I didn't get any photos of the duels, they are way too fast for me and my camera!

 

I like this one - it shows his tail feathers.

Here's a photo of him hovering in the air with all his feathers spread, unfortunately it's blurry.   But still a keeper for me at this point.

I'm still working with this camera and sometimes I guess right, and sometimes I guess wrong.  I'm getting more and more photos I like, but it's an uphill battle.  This camera is an Olympus Stylus with 10X Optical Zoom.  It got it at Costco, and it's not fancy or expensive, but I've never had a camera with different settings.  This one has a few different settings, and then some settings within settings.  I've seen already how different the settings can make the photo look.  So, my photos are a work in progress.  By the time I'm on the road and have some great places to photograph, I should be ready.

This photo, if you click on it, shows his amazing red fluorescent throat feathers.

From me and Katie, have an amazing Thursday everyone!  : )