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.
Besides I can’t believe their birdie feet. They are miniaturized, engineering marvels.
These tiny birds who weigh less than a nickel, have impressively functional feet.
Check out this guy with his landing gear engaged and ready to lock on!
Right now the hummers appear to be miffed.
I moved their feeder so it would be more in the sun for photos, and they are balking about using it.
It’s a hummingbird standoff.
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~
.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Share this:
Discover more from Cindy Knoke
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
They are gorgeous!! I have never seen a hummingbird in my life and it makes me really jealous 🙂
I am so pleased you like them! They would like you too!
Haha! Birds usually fly away when they see me 🙂
You just need to be properly introduced…. 😉
She always inspires and educates.Beautiful as always.
Beauty birds and fantastic photos. What a great photografer you are.
Oh, this is so kind of you & so appreciated! Cheers to you~
Cheers!
Oh lucky you. I love hummingbirds, but we don’t have them in Norway, at least I can enjoy them in your beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing.
Norway is so gorgeous and I am so happy you enjoyed the hummers! Thanks much for the appreciation
Love that one can see the feather structures while in flight.
Fascinating isn’t it? They are marvels of design & engineering~
Wow
🙂
Wow. Those were amazing photos. I just love those little ones! They should be arriving here in April….. on my list: get feeders! 😀
cate
Gotta feed these babies,they burn so many calories fighting and flying!
Amazing photos. We certainly don’t get them in my part of Australia.
Australia is blessed with such incredible birds, I am glad to show you at least one that you don’t have!
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!!
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.
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. 🙂
Hilarious Graham! It certainly isn’t size that can make one the boss! 😉
Now there’s a thought. 🙂
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.
Awwww, it is meeting people like you Carol that makes me love blogging. So thoughtful and so kind….
What amazing, gorgeous shots! These guys are so FAST they’re nearly impossible to snap. 🙂 Such unbelievable colors…
So pleased that you enjoyed them & cheers to you~
Love the hummer photos!
Very glad to hear it & cheers to you~
Love your hummingbirds – amazing to me the clarity you get. These photographs are stunning of the little guys!
Awww, so kind Mary & so appreciated!
Your photos are always so stunning Cindy! I love hummingbirds! Ours don’t arrive until the end of April. Can’t wait!
Very happy you enjoyed and glad you get to experience these little guys up close & personal!
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!
They are fascinating up close aren’t they! Such incredible details~
Beautiful photos, Hummingbirds are gorgeous little birds! I wish we had some in my neighbourhood…
They definitely add joy and entertainment to my life~
You do take the best hummingbird pics ever, Cindy. 🙂 Such beautiful captures of these beautiful birds.
They are part of the family out here. We eat outside with hummers whisking over the plates!
Go for two or three hours, Cindy. They’ll adjust. Guaranteed. 🙂
Laughing……I am such a wimp! 😉
You’ve got some great pictures there! I love hummers too, and mine can be very silly about any changes to their feeder.
They know whose in charge don’t they! 😉
I never thought of that. Aren’t they extraordinary? I never tire of looking at them (or trying to photograph them as well as you do.) Delightful little hummers.
Yes they are a constant source of conversation and focus here at The Holler, they and the free range cows and bulls! Laughing…..
Love this shot!
And all the others after the cover. 🙂
They are unfairly photogenic subjects, but I am really glad you liked them!
These are (as always) gorgeous! Fascinating little creatures! 😀
Your kitty kats might like them too, for the wrong reasons!!
Well, I sure hope those little jet propelled hummers can move fast enough to stay safe!
They definitely can, there is no cat they cannot evade!
Such lovely little creatures and your photos are wonderful…they’re smart too if they can push you around!
They are very smart and good pusher arounders!
Amazing shots, love them! Nicely done.
I was just listening to your lastest riff Rick, enjoying it, and now, and see you here! Synchronicity~
I haven’t been on much lately…watched my sick grandchildren and picked up their stomach virus. Used to be impervious….Apparently, I’m no longer bullet-proof.
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!
Blogging is this wonderful community. I love the bloggers I follow, like you!
You can never have too many humming birds!
That sums up my philosophy neatly! 😉
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
They are magical and very difficult to photograph but here are some wonderful shots of one of my favourite birds.. The Humming Bird, courtesy of Cindy Knoke… wow
You are most kind and very thoughtful and very, very appreciated my friend! Cheers & thank you~
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
Thank you much more for such a thoughtful and kind comment~
I tell it as I see it, Cindy. You are more than welcome.
<3
Beautiful captures, Cindy. We don’t see the hummers until summer so your images of them brightened this wintry day for me. 🙂
Yay! Brightening a wintry day is what I am aiming for! Cheers to you my friend~
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?
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.
I think I’ll try to find some shade. Thanks!
<3
impressive skill, patience & art
to capture those fast, little birdies 🙂
Thank you for noticing & cheers to you~
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.
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!
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.’
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~
I never thought to look at their feet! How sweet they are, and yet as you said, functional. Great photographs.
Very happy you enjoyed them, and yes the close you look, the more interesting they are!
“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.
A black swan family would be a major thrill, swans in general are a thrill. I can only see them when I travel! <3
Einen schönen Sonntag wunderschöne Vögel sind alle toll getroffen.Wünsche dir Morgen eine glückliche gute Woche lieber Gruß Gislinde
Sie sind wunderbar Gislinde ! Danke mein Freund. Wir sind mitten in der Planung unserer nachsten Reise nach Ihren schönen Deutschland!
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
So thoughtful and so appreciated! You made my morning. Many thanks & happy Sunday~
We have a humming bird feeder outside our kitchen window and it’s a real treat when they come for a snack. I’ve never seen these wonderful little birds in such detail, though, as they move so fast. These are lovely photos.
Awwww, so happy you enjoyed and that you have your own hummers visiting! They make life more beautiful! Cheers to you & thank you~
Excellent photos! Thanks!
Thank you more for the appreciation!
YES! This is why I fell in love with you and your pictures “HW”
I know you do love the hummingbirds! Happy Sunday to you my friend. Always look forward to visiting with you~ <3
Amazing photographs. You must have a lot of patience.!
Only for certain things! Laughing…..thanks much and have a great week~
Congratulations! I’ve nominated you for TWO blog awards! https://scatterbooker.wordpress.com/2015/02/09/not-one-but-two-blog-awards/
Awwww, so thoughtful of you! I am honored and greatly appreciative! Thank you and have a wonderful week~
You’re welcome Cindy, you too! 🙂
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
Ihre Freundlichkeit wird sehr geschatzt Klaus . Haben eine wunderbare Woche mein Freund!
Beautiful photos, tiny feet and all. Thanks for sharing your passion and talent Cindy! 🙂
Thank you more for the appreciation & cheers to you!
my pure joy!
<3
No such words to say how great these pictures are done. Stunning!
Awwwww, makes me very happy!
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 🙂
Aren’t they gorgeous little dynamos! So happy you enjoyed all the details as I do!
Incredible Aero-dynamos dear Cindy!They had very well studied the flight abilities of the birds before building aeroplanes … They did copy them … Cheers 🙂
loving your bird shots, cindy
So glad you do cuz I am certainly “for the birds!”
Great photos! Good thing they are “teeny tiny” rather than “itty bitty”… 🙂
Yeah, itty bitty would be an eeensy bit bad! 😉
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!
You take gorgeous photos so I don’t believe this for a second, but I very much appreciate your thoughtful generosity!
You better believe! ☺
What magic birds and what brilliant photos!
Awwww, see why I love to blog? It is because of people like you~