Allynb wrote:
I have a pair of thr rubies by my feeder. Great little creatures to photo and enjoy. Been experimenting with an older Dale Beam for the action shots.
Ted, having spent the morning shooting a hummingbird war, all I can say is that these are ridiculously good!
I absolutely love the details, behaviors, and interactions with the various flowers. I've been a member of this forum since 2003 and always look forward to seeing your hummingbird work,.. something for me to aspire to.
As for numbers, my closest fiend works for the WI DNR. He does bird point counts throughout various central and northern habitats in the state. He indicated that the Wisconsin breeding numbers are way down. I live in MN, and I am just starting to see them, as they congregate around clusters of jewelweed before they head south.
It appears that 3 factors impacted them this year... 1: We had a late spring with a cold snap during the middle of the migration. This, evidently, caused a number of birds to drop out of the sky and die. There were reports in Iowa that even loons were falling out the sky. 2: The habitat loss continues throughout the migratory range. This reduction of habitat is having a huge impact on bird diversity. 3. Finally, my friends suspects that an increase reliance on pesticides throughout the breeding and overwintering habitat is creating a toxicity load. This may be especially fatal for hummingbirds, as their diminutive size and voracious appetite for insects will cause them to bioaccumulate a large percentage of toxins per biomass than some of the larger bird species...
Let's hope that the survivors have the genes that will increase their fitness as their environment continues to change.
cheers,
bruce
Zeno973 wrote:
All beautiful shots! A friend of mine has a bird feeder at her house in PA and we would see all types of birds fly by. I would take pictures with my phone to show others but these are the pictures I definitely want to take when I go back with my camera.
Good luck to you Zeno. Thanks for your reply.
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RockvilleBob wrote:
A stunning seried Ted
Thank you Bob.
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Ted ellis wrote:
Dan, I appreciate your great reply.
OwlsEyes wrote:
Ted, having spent the morning shooting a hummingbird war, all I can say is that these are ridiculously good!
I absolutely love the details, behaviors, and interactions with the various flowers. I've been a member of this forum since 2003 and always look forward to seeing your hummingbird work,.. something for me to aspire to.
As for numbers, my closest fiend works for the WI DNR. He does bird point counts throughout various central and northern habitats in the state. He indicated that the Wisconsin breeding numbers are way down. I live in MN, and I am just starting to see them, as they congregate around clusters of jewelweed before they head south.
It appears that 3 factors impacted them this year... 1: We had a late spring with a cold snap during the middle of the migration. This, evidently, caused a number of birds to drop out of the sky and die. There were reports in Iowa that even loons were falling out the sky. 2: The habitat loss continues throughout the migratory range. This reduction of habitat is having a huge impact on bird diversity. 3. Finally, my friends suspects that an increase reliance on pesticides throughout the breeding and overwintering habitat is creating a toxicity load. This may be especially fatal for hummingbirds, as their diminutive size and voracious appetite for insects will cause them to bioaccumulate a large percentage of toxins per biomass than some of the larger bird species...
Let's hope that the survivors have the genes that will increase their fitness as their environment continues to change.
cheers,
bruce...Show more →
Bruce thanks for your comprehensive reply.
While I noted / posted a dramatic decrease in hummingbird numbers and activity this year, my numbers and activity levels have been decreasing for at least 5-years. While I am certainly more selective in what I shoot versus what I keep now versus then. 2010-16 my shot numbers would be 800-1200 over a 4 hour period. Now I'm lucky to get 300 over a 4 hour period.
Patience is a virtue but this decreasing trend is pushing patience to the extreme.
Thanks again for your reply Bruce.
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Tyr-Sog wrote:
These are wonderful! All of them, no need for me to pick lol.
Thanks for sharing Ted!
Thank you Tyr.😊
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kdacharya wrote:
congrats Ted
KD, thank you.😎
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eyelaser wrote:
Congrats on a super set and well deserved tow honors.
Eric
