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re: Hummingbird pictures
Posted on 5/29/24 at 5:28 pm to highcotton2
Posted on 5/29/24 at 5:28 pm to highcotton2
Have you ever considered going down to Ecuador for hummingbird photos? The hummingbirds there are really mind boggling. I've been several times and really love the country. Most of South and Central America too, but Ecuador is just special for birds.
2
Posted on 5/29/24 at 5:45 pm to Tigris
quote:
I've been several times and really love the country. Most of South and Central America too, but Ecuador is just special for birds.
Did you go with a group on one of the organized birding trips?
There's one that you can go to Costa Rica, I think, and help with Hummingbird banding projects.
Posted on 5/29/24 at 8:01 pm to Tigris
quote:
Have you ever considered going down to Ecuador for hummingbird photos?
I took these pictures standing in my kitchen with the window open and a bottle of bourbon sitting on the counter. Not sure I’m ready for Ecuador.
Would be a cool trip though. I have taken pictures of banded mallards, blue wing teal, wood ducks, red-crested pochard, whistling ducks and Whooping Cranes on our farm so a banded hummingbird is definitely on my list.
Posted on 5/30/24 at 11:13 am to highcotton2
The Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson has an enclosed hummingbird exhibit and you can sit on wooden benches and see hummingbirds sitting on limbs right next to you and they fly among you....pretty cool.
Posted on 5/31/24 at 6:43 pm to LegendInMyMind
quote:
Did you go with a group on one of the organized birding trips?
Both ways. The first three trips were to Costa Rica and I planned them myself. And I was really just learning. Then Panama at a birding lodge (Canopy Tower) and that just blew away Costa Rica. And then I kept moving south with mostly group tours. Lots of companies do them. Field Guides, WINGS, Rockjumper, Naturalist Journeys are all good. The last trip was Ecuador for a friend and I and I just hired them and their local guide to handle arrangements. Wild Sumaco lodge, and Byron guiding. Can't say enough good things about that. Eventually you learn enough to arrange private trips which are way better than group trips. Also, I made friends with a professional bird guide and have done trips with just him, those were off the charts good.
At this point I've seen 248 hummingbird species out of the 350 in the world (only in the Americas). An obsession that goes back to when I was a kid filling the hummingbird feeder when we'd go out to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Posted on 5/31/24 at 7:30 pm to Tigris
They sounds like a very nice trip. I’m sure there would be tons of stuff to photograph. Be cool to get some photos of some Toucans.
Posted on 5/31/24 at 9:23 pm to Tigris
quote:
At this point I've seen 248 hummingbird species out of the 350 in the world (only in the Americas). An obsession that goes back to when I was a kid filling the hummingbird feeder when we'd go out to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Now, that's cool. A few years back I strongly considered going on a trip to Costa Rica with a banding group. It was part watching/part fieldwork and seemed like a good time. I couldn't make it work, though.
I listen to a podcast called Nature Guys. One of the original hosts (he passed a year or so ago) was a Naturalist who worked for nature centers in Ohio. He organized and led trips for years, everything from birding to African safaris. It is a really good podcast if you're into listening to them.
Posted on 6/1/24 at 9:13 am to Tigris
quote:
At this point I've seen 248 hummingbird species out of the 350 in the world
Have you seen a Marvelous Spatuletail in the wild? Now that is some strange feathers.
Posted on 6/1/24 at 10:12 am to highcotton2
quote:
Have you seen a Marvelous Spatuletail in the wild?
I have, but only females and young males. That was a major disappointment, they almost always have full males. Northern Peru was a great tour though in spite of not seeing a good male Spatula tail. We had more bird species than any other trip I've been on including possibly the rarest owl in the world (discovered by an LSU researcher who I've traveled with).
Posted on 6/1/24 at 10:23 am to Tigris
quote:
possibly the rarest owl in the world (discovered by an LSU researcher who I've traveled with).
Long-whiskered Owlet?
Posted on 6/1/24 at 10:24 am to highcotton2
quote:
I’m sure there would be tons of stuff to photograph. Be cool to get some photos of some Toucans.
There is all kinds of cool stuff. On the last trip to Ecuador, in addition to tons of hummingbird species, we had Toucans, Owls, Cock of the Rocks, Condors, Puffbirds, Antpittas, Trogons, Spectacled Bear, Tapir, Tyra, Tamarin Monkeys, Blue Morpho Butterflies, and a White-witch Moth (largest moth in the world). I think a trip from Quito that covers both slopes of the Andes is the best birding in the world, and the birds are especially colorful there so it's great for photography too.
Posted on 6/1/24 at 6:57 pm to highcotton2
quote:
Long-whiskered Owlet?
Yep. Maybe my favorite bird ever. It's a long hike down to the habitat. Then you wait. And wait. Finally one came in. We couldn't see it at first because it was really close and we were looking in the trees well behind it. It was a shock when we realized how close it was.
> Then a long hike back up hill in the dark. Well worth it.
BTW, a total crap photo of a Marvelous Spatulatail immature male.
This post was edited on 6/1/24 at 7:26 pm
Posted on 6/1/24 at 7:38 pm to Tigris
How do you decide on the exact spot you want to set up on? Near a nesting area? Feeding area? Seems like that would be really random to be close enough for a good a shot. And that is an excellent photo.
Posted on 6/2/24 at 4:40 am to highcotton2
We had a local guide who knows the owls well. When it got dark he immitated their call. He moved us to a few different spots on the trail. It took a couple of hours. When it flew in he hit it with his light. Luckily it stuck around a while which helped with the photo. I took at least 50 bad ones but had time to work on exposure and focus.
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