p.1 #1 · "Build it and hummingbirds will bathe in it."
For hummingbirds to bathe, they MUST HAVE water that is extremely shallow, or water from a spray. With legs that are less than half an inch in length, they avoid water deeper than that.
They simply will not bathe in deeper water, which is why they will not bathe in those bowl-shaped bird baths unless some object is placed that they can sit on where the water is very shallow. Since they have the smallest legs of all birds, why would anyone expect them to bathe in water that is more than half an inch deep?
Hummingbird legs are extremely tiny, measuring roughly 0.25 to 0.5 inches in length. Because their legs and feet are so small and weak, these birds cannot walk or hop; instead, they use their feet strictly for perching and shuffling sideways along branches.
If building your own ‘fountain’ for photographing them, it matters not what the overall appearance looks like when you are only photographing the small area encompassing the hummingbird. Just like a movie set where the videographer shoots only the action area of the set.
I routinely shot hummingbirds bathing from a blind and was only a few feet from the hummingbird. The sound of the mirror-slap from a DSLR would frighten some away, while others would get used to it. Mirrorless shooting eliminated that problem.
