Archive 2021 · Sword-Billed Hummingbird (Ecuador)

gil3
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Sword-Billed Hummingbird (Ecuador)

Continuing newly processing captures from previous birding adventures…

Toting low/mid-end photo gears, my wife and I found ourselves in Ecuador some years ago courtesy of expiring mileage, hotel rewards and off season (tail-end of the rainy season) cheap birding tour. Need to combine some tourist spot visits and some birding or else such trip won’t materialize (need to maintain some home harmony

).

Sony A77II with Tamron 150-600mm were the main gears with Sony A600 plus a 55-210mm kit zoom (fitted with 1.7X Afocal front TC) was sort of a back-up and to amuse/keep busy my accidental short-spanned birding wife. She used the back-up mostly at zoom out/shortest focal with the LCD to be able to have a wide look on the birds, sort of a binocular.

Common knowledge and actual experiences from similar past rainforest/cloud forest adventures dictates fast and medium to long range lenses, good AF and body with good high ISO capability. I don’t have those and although I have a vintage 300mm f2.8 and f4, too bulky and heavy for comfort. As the saying goes, I got what I paid for but with my satisfaction level not really that high; the forced trip was good enough and opens up future exploration (maybe with better gears).

It was a tough time for this hummingbird capture - late afternoon, overcast/drizzling a bit, from a private feeder (friend of our guide) that has Sword-billed hummingbird visit at that time and the house near Quito was on a hillside where I was above or below the feeder but never at eye level. Also it feeds only intermittently and we had limited time. Anyway with some newer software versions, some captures were made usable/shareable. Last image was captured by the wife (needs more PP than usual

).

TIA for looking. Disclosures: background was blurred but still original and parts of the feeder just below the beak's tip were edited out. The beak was never inside the feeder's hole but really close.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-RGhNqVt/0/0be1a8b6/X2/i-RGhNqVt-X2.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-4kwhtHL/0/81092f66/X2/i-4kwhtHL-X2.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-fGFDR43/0/7612dbef/X2/i-fGFDR43-X2.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-933JVnH/0/bfaa86cd/X2/i-933JVnH-X2.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-vDqCHXF/0/15b7d5db/X2/i-vDqCHXF-X2.jpg

Jan 06, 2021 at 04:47 PM

morris
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Sword-Billed Hummingbird (Ecuador)

Lovely set Gill

Morris

Jan 06, 2021 at 04:53 PM

ornate_wrasse
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Sword-Billed Hummingbird (Ecuador)

Very nice captures!

I've captured an Anna's Hummingbird, which lives in my area (Portland, Oregon) year round but it doesn't begin to compare with your images.

Thanks for sharing.

Jan 06, 2021 at 06:55 PM

Bobg657
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Sword-Billed Hummingbird (Ecuador)

Well done, especially considering the gear!

Jan 06, 2021 at 07:15 PM

birdied
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Sword-Billed Hummingbird (Ecuador)

Wonderful set!!!

Birdie

Jan 06, 2021 at 07:29 PM

louie champan
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Sword-Billed Hummingbird (Ecuador)

Wow, very nicely done and what a unique looking HB.

Jan 06, 2021 at 09:14 PM

gil3
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Sword-Billed Hummingbird (Ecuador)

morris wrote:
Lovely set Gill

Morris

---------------------------------------------

ornate_wrasse wrote:
Very nice captures!

I've captured an Anna's Hummingbird, which lives in my area (Portland, Oregon) year round but it doesn't begin to compare with your images.

Thanks for sharing.

---------------------------------------------

Bobg657 wrote:
Well done, especially considering the gear!

---------------------------------------------

birdied wrote:
Wonderful set!!!

Birdie

---------------------------------------------

louie champan wrote:
Wow, very nicely done and what a unique looking HB.

Thanks all.
cheers,
gil

Jan 07, 2021 at 09:38 PM

AGeoJO
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Sword-Billed Hummingbird (Ecuador)

The second image takes the cake out of this fine set, gil!

Joshua

Jan 07, 2021 at 09:57 PM

gil3
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Sword-Billed Hummingbird (Ecuador)

AGeoJO wrote:
The second image takes the cake out of this fine set, gil!

Joshua

Thanks Joshua. Just got lucky for some web-usable shots after PP (at least to me

) in spite of the non-ideal conditions - late afternoon, overcast with some drizzle, and passable gears (ISO3200 already tough, can't have higher shutter speed, etc.). Also employed economies of scale.
cheers,
gil

Jan 08, 2021 at 11:22 PM


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