Hummingbirds 2019 Part 1

Male Black Chinned Hummingbird

Hummingbird Love

     I just love these little birds soooo much! Hummingbirds may be tiny and cute but they are sophisticated flying machines and, like little dogs that don't know they're little, fierce as can be. 
     I live in Meadow Lake, New Mexico and hummingbirds are here April through October. A good rule of thumb for knowing when to expect hummingbirds is between the last frost and the first frost. Hummingbirds feed mostly on flower nectar and insects so they don't do winter.
     In my part of New Mexico, the most common species of hummingbird is the Black Chinned. The male Black Chinned Hummingbird is easy to spot with their solid black head, purple throat and green back. The females are not as ornate, they have the green back but are mostly tan. 
     The Black Chinned Hummingbirds arrive first, usually in the first two weeks of April. Then, around mid-July the Rufus Hummingbirds show up as well. They are easy to differentiate from the Black Chinned because of their orange color scheme. Once they get here, there are about 15 birds that spend most of their time in my yard so I maintain three feeders that are refilled every other day to keep up with the demand.
     Hummingbirds usually depart around the beginning of October. Contrary to popular belief, the presence of feeders does not delay their migration. It is the duration of daylight and the temperature that tells them it's time to go. Even after most of them have left, I will still keep one feeder out for a week or so in case birds migrating from farther north pass by my house and need a snack.
     Since we built our porch, I spend time every morning sitting out front photographing the hummingbirds. Tech specs on all of these images is as follows: Canon 80D, Tamron 70-300 lens. ISO 640, f.8 at 1/2000 of a second in the morning sun. 

Female Black Chinned Hummingbird

Female Rufus Hummingbird