01.05.25: Taking a rest break

I don’t get many opportunities to photograph hummingbirds during my nature hikes. I occasionally see them fly by, but they are often gone before I can get the camera in position.

The birds flow through life at a high speed, much faster than I can operate a camera in most instances. But I’ve been fortunate to capture a few nice photos of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in flight through the years, which is difficult because of their speed, constant motion and small size — only about three inches in length.

But sometimes even a perpetual-motion hummingbird needs to take a break. When that happens, it’s also a break for any nearby photographer trying to get a shot of the bird.

I photographed this female Ruby-throated Hummingbird in a park north of Columbus, Ohio a few years ago. I had watched the bird zooming between flowers in the field and had tried for a while to photograph it in flight without success. I gave up and started watching a Gray Catbird that was nearby and much easier to photograph. After a couple of minutes I looked back to see if the hummingbird was still around just as it flew past and landed atop a flower. I quickly turned the camera and focused on the bird, clicking off a couple of shots before the hummingbird’s break ended and it flew off.

It ended up being a nice shot.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the only hummingbird that is regularly found in the Eastern United States (including Central Ohio where I live). Most other hummingbird species found in the U.S. are in the southwest.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are bright emerald or golden-green on the crown and back. Males have an iridescent ruby throat (hence the name). Females, like this one, do not.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds nest in our area during the summer. A few years ago a nesting couple made a home in a tree in our front yard, just outside our bedroom window. A hummingbird’s nest is tiny, about two inches across and an inch deep, and is built on top of a limb. The male doesn’t hang around long, leaving the female to tend to the nest and the young.

When summer ends, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird heads for Central America, often crossing the Gulf of Mexico in a single flight.