Teeny Tiny Birdie Feet~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS

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I evaluate hummingbird photos by how clearly I can get the feet in focus. If the face is in focus, but the feet are blurry, then the photo doesn’t make the cut.
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Besides I can’t believe their birdie feet. They are miniaturized, engineering marvels.
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These tiny birds who weigh less than a nickel, have impressively functional feet.
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Check out this guy with his landing gear engaged and ready to lock on!
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Right now the hummers appear to be miffed.
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I moved their feeder so it would be more in the sun for photos, and they are balking about using it.
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It’s a hummingbird standoff.
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If they refuse to use the feeder for another hour, I’ll move it back.
Cheers to you from The Holler Hummers, who, of course, are always in charge!
I am just their feeder filler~
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273 thoughts on “Teeny Tiny Birdie Feet~”

  1. Great pictures, I see Hummingbirds all the time but never that up close. Having the feeder in the sun most likely gets too hot for their little feet to touch. See if they only land on the side not directly in the sun. A.G.

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  6. Ms. Feeder Filler, you gave me a laugh because I know what you say is true, the Hummers rule your land. Really excellent photos, and I, too, love those little feet. 😀

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  10. Good evening Cindy – These pictures are by far the most amazing I have ever seen of any bird. Absolutely beautiful. The colors are truly magnificent. Hmmm – I think I feel a poem coming on… The Hues of the Hummingbird… Thanks for the inspirations. Hope your evening is as beautiful as your photographs…
    Michael

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  15. Amazing photos. I consider it a win if I get one sorta of centered — they move so fast — by the time I oh and ah over their zippity cuteness they’re gone again.

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  18. That is an interesting tip to also keep the bird’s feet in focus as well as the eyes or the head. I will have to keep that in mind if I have a chance to capture pictures of bird.

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    1. I was so tickled with that one because we got to see the mechanics of how they land. They are endlessly interesting to me, so happy you enjoyed them Pauline & cheers to you and Jack.

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  23. Wow, the hummers are still around where you are! They annually leave around mid-late winter in my area so I haven’t been seeing them as of late. However, thanks to you Cindy, I can view them here! 😀

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    1. There is a small cohort that stay here year round, the hordes will arrive in the spring and I will be using 32 ounces of nectar daily in mid summer! These little babies need their fuel!

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  24. Great shots. I understand their rule all too well. The feeders have to be cleaned and replaced at night or all you-know-what breaks loose!

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    1. Not with people. They will come within inches of my eyes and I trust them completely. But with each other, oh my yes! They spend so much time bickering and fighting it is unreal and it utilizes way too many calories to be efficient!

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  32. Cindy, such beautiful shots of the hummers. I just love them. Had a very strange experience right before Christmas, when it was quite cold. One big fat hummer would sit in a rosebush nearby and did not allow any other hummers to eat from that feeder. Than I got upset and hung another one, because it was so cold out, but this hummer started chasing all the others away from both feeders. It was all for him. No sharing, just like humans at times.
    The others hummers for sure were hungry. Enjoyed watching the whole scenario. Hugs! Veraiconica

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    1. Yes! They seem to fight more over the feeders when there is less competition. In the summer when we have hordes of them, they still fight, but less intensely. Now when there are around 5 birds and 64 ounces of nectar hanging there, they squabble like mad. It makes no sense. All I can figure is that when the competition is serious, ie., many birds, limited nectar, it is a matter of survival to drink more and fight less. In the winter when there is tons of nectar they have more luxury time to fight! Funny little guys….

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  34. If these are not links Google Atmospheric River 🙂
    Infoporn: Forecasting a River of Atmospheric Water
    Wired‎ – 17 hours agoThis weekend, an atmospheric river is set to hit California. Here’s how scientists modeled …
    Atmospheric river of rain ready to drench Northern California
    Los Angeles Times‎ – 11 hours ago
    More Snow Ahead for East, ‘Atmospheric River’ of Rain for West
    NBC News‎ – 4 hours ago
    More news for atmospheric river
    Σταύρος Λάντσιας – Το ποτάμι του χρόνου(The river of time).

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    1. Such ethereal music. Entrancing. Beautiful. I don’t think the water will get here. Northern Caly yes, but here no. Makes me beyond sad. Thank you for this wonderful water music my dear friend.

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      1. 1EarthUnited introduced me to this composer/musician . Another Sky River could form, unseen, over the warmer ocean, and flow right to your house. You might not even know it until the water cascades down.

        I hope this potential rain, from the river that already has formed, is enough to save a few trees in the orchards and the stressed forests.

        Knock on wood 🙂

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    1. Oh see, you and Pauline notice. I took that today, although lacking in some things that might be required for a good photo, I loved the new insight into the bird’s mechanics. Thank you for noticing & enjoying~

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  42. Really interesting point you make about how their feet indicate the quality of the photo 🙂 Amazing photos I must say, very beautiful 🙂 Always a treat to see your photography 🙂

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  50. Wonderful Cindy! Never seen any hummingbirds live so I really love your pictures. And I’m amazed that you manage to capture them so well. Happy weekend!

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      1. There is amazing bird life over at my parents’ place at Palm beach, where we’ve been on numerous holidays. They are on the still, Pittwater side and there are mangroves which are breeding grounds for migratory birds. WE get grey heron, pelicans. There is a pair of Rainbow Lorrikeets who live there and masses of Sulfur-Crested cockatoos. The cockatoos are a bit of a mixed blessing. I love them but if you don’t feed them, they can start attacking your house and they have done some damage to our place. After sundown there is what I call: “the sunset screech” where the cockatoo all fly back across Careel Bay screeching the entire way. There’s 30-50 birds. it is an amazing spectacle!!

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      2. I was so blown away by Australia’s birds, the flocks of galah’s, the cockatoos, the roselles, the loriketts, all the parrots. I went up to a bush and there must have been 50 Black Cockatoos demolishing it, eating the nuts and crying like cats. These are considered rare and extremely prized birds in the US. They sell for around 50K each if you can find one. Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are prized and pricey pets here. I need to go back to Australia and spend more time with the birds.

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  58. Nice to see pictures that are rarely seen.

    A friend of mind was a bee keeper. His bees loved him, they even tried to go home with in the car. One day he thought that it would be easier if he called them all George and told them so. He said they were most stand-offish until he relented. 🙂

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  59. Beautiful birds, and such amazing photos, Cindy. You are such a gifted artist with an keen eye for seeing beauty and a loving, joyful heart that shines though all of your work.

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  64. The clarity is stunning, Cindy! I don’t think I can see this clear with my eyes. Look at the feather… Wow!!! Thank you so much for showing us this beauty!

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  75. What amazing teeny birdie feet. Such focus! Nice, Cindy. And thanks for your likes and comments on my blog. You are always such a good responder!

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  78. These guys are stunning. Either you were super patient for the shots or were among hummingbirds who needed a sit. 😀
    When I was small and saw my first hummingbird, I thought it would burn up with those wings whizzing so fast. Wonderful pictures. Thanks for sharing. <3

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  80. Wonderful, wonderful photos of birds that are so hard to catch well. They are amazing critters and you’ve done a great job capturing their personality. We’ve planted bushes around our pool that attract butterflies and hummingbirds – need to put up a feeder, but where? Sun or shade?

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  81. Thank you for such kind words & thoughts. I guess I would go for shade if your not planning on taking a lot of photos. The shade stops the nectar from spoiling and the hummingbirds seem to like it better. If you want to take photos, I would opt for a location that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. This is what I do giving me a morning window for photos.

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  83. How we love the hummers. It’s still too cold for them here but I’ve already been planning special gardens just for them and the butterflies. Of course I’ll still put out the feeders. Last year both hummers and butterflies loved the natural feeding with the flowers better than the feeders. However, the hummers were really funny. I had a feeder hung not far from a blown glass rondale Tom had made several years ago and it’s hung in every garden from Monterey, Rome,Sicily, and even DC. Last year is the first year I’ve actually seen the hummers hoover in front of the rondale [no wind or breeze to make it move] and they seemed to check out their reflection before they quickly nose bombed the hummer spray mister I have in the garden below. The spray mister has been a hit since I first put it together in North Carolina.

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    1. I need to try a spray mister…….The hummers always fly into the hose spray when I water in the summer. What a great idea. I have all the plants planted to attract the hummer and flutterbyes too. We get hordes of them and I love them all!

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      1. It’s such fun to watch them fly through the mister and they get the best expressions on their faces as they primp about. I have my eye on another birdbath with mister – Tom swears I keep the place in business although he’s always calling me to see something going on outside his window.
        Anyway, the second mister attaches itself to a larger birdbath but I want to more or less hide it in a tall bit of wildflowers for the hummers to find. I often see them coming up from below the flowers and thought a place ‘to freshen up’ would be really nice for them. Birds Unlimited is the name of the store I was trying to think of. They have some of the most awesome delights for our feathered friends. Tom swears the next thing he’ll see is little towels and ever so tiny bars of soap for the hummers to use when they finish their ‘showers.’

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        1. I am heading over there right now. These misters sound just the ticket for hot Holler Summers! We’ll get even more hummers! Is that even possible? We’ll have to see. Thanks for the tip Sheri & cheers to you my friend~

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  85. “lol” I guess the hummingbirds let you know how they want it….. or else! They are adorable. All I get here are Grackles, Sparrows, Pigeons and Sea Gulls. If I cross over to the lake I can sometimes see Ducks and Swans. I saw a Black Swan family a couple of years ago.

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  87. Cindy, these are the best photos I have ever seen of Hummingbirds. Absolutely fantastic!!! I know the patience required to get shots like these and oh wow, I really am impressed. GREAT job! Love, Amy

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  93. Liebe Cindy traumhafte Fotos einfach wunderschön an zu sehen ganz toll danke für diese schönen Fotos einen schönen Tag und sei ganz lieb gegrüßt in Freundschaft Klaus

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  96. Stunning macro photos of this beautiful birdie dear Cindy!They look really fascinating on the wing,their engineering secrets behind their tiny but powerful feet are totally astonishing!Loved their rich motley plumage too 🙂

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  99. Cindy, just how are you able to take great shot after shot?! Heck, my eyes are so slow I can’t even follow them! And such a novel approach to whether its a good shot or not!

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  109. Cindy, it has been far too long since I have visited and enjoyed your incredible photos, and hummingbirds are my FAVorite! I so admire your photo skills and am ashamed to say that unlike your exacting standards, I evaluate my hummingbird photos by whether or not the bird is actually IN the photo! 😉

    PS: thank you so much for always coming by and liking my rare posts! XOXO

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  113. I love it when you get me thinking they have personalities and thoughts, Cindy. This was a fantastic post, beautiful photos, as always and am enjoying the dynamics of a hummingbird ‘stand off.’

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  114. What lovely birds – of course we don’t see them in England. I really like the one with wings moving. Interesting to see you concentrate on getting the feet sharp

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  115. Another snowy day here in WV. I shoveled off the deck to get to the bird feeder. The birds are delighted. Pleanty of views of their tallons grasping onto the perches.
    Oscar

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