Photo ABCs

Estero Beach Birding: Anna's Hummingbird

An Anna's Hummingbird, photographed last month at Estero Beach, south of Ensenada, Mexico:

Allen's Hummingbirds

Two (probably female or immature) Allen's Hummingbirds compete for a favored perch:

A male Allen's Hummingbird comes to the same perch later the same day:

Photographed in Laguna Beach in August of this year.

Allen's Hummingbird

An Allen's Hummingbird, photographed at Huntington Central Park, Hunting Beach, in April of last year:

The wings are a blur even at 1/1000 of a second.

Allen's Hummingbird

Allen's Hummingbirds, photographed visiting nasturtiums in La Jolla, California, in June of this year.

Ordinarily I don't think bird photographs need embellishing with heavy vignettes or other, shall we say, gimmicks, but I thought I'd have a little fun with these two photos.

 

 

Panama Birding: Canopy Tower: Long-billed Hermit, Blue-chested Hummingbird

More hummingbirds photographed at Canopy Tower in April of this year.

This Long-billed Hermit (right) was perched on a cable when a Blue-chested Hummingbird decided to share the space:

The Long-billed Hermit lets the Blue-chested Hummingbird know what it thinks!

Photographed in April of this year.

Panama Birding: Canopy Tower: Violet-bellied Hummingbird, Blue-chested Hummingbird

More hummingbirds seen at Canopy Tower in April of this year:

Violet-bellied Hummingbird:

Blue-chested Hummingbird:

Panama Birding: Canopy Tower: White-necked Jacobin

Canopy Tower is one of three birding lodges owned by Raul Arias de Para, who owns Canopy Lodge, where we spent five nights.

Canopy Tower is a former military radar facility, converted by Raul into a world-renowned birding resort in the middle of a park near Panama City.

As they were fully booked, we could not stay there, but we did the next best thing and had lunch there, birding before and after lunch and before and after a tremendous thunderstorm!

The White-necked Jacobin is found in southern Mexico, Central and much of South America:

When bothered by another bird it will spread its impressive and imposing tail:

Panama Birding: Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, White-vented Plumeleteer

Hummingbirds photographed at or near Canopy Lodge, in Valle de Anton, Panama.

The Snowy-bellied Hummingbird shows how it got its name:

Another:

The Snowy-bellied Hummingbird is found only in Panama and a tiny part of Costa Rica.

The White-vented Plumeleteer has a small range in northernmost South America and a small region of Panama:

Don't you like the name "plumeleteer"? Just about all hummingbirds show off their plumes, or showy feathers, but only two species have the name plumeleteer.

Panama Birding: Blue-chested Hummingbird, Stripe-throated Hermit

More hummingbirds photographed near Canopy Lodge in Panama.

The Blue-chested Hummingbird is found in a narrow range in Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador:

The Stripe-throated Hermit is found from the southern border of Mexico to the northern edge of South America. Though photos can make them seem large, they are smaller than our Anna's Hummingbird, even with their long bill and tail.

Panama Birding: Violet-headed Hummingbird

The Violet-headed Hummingbird is found in a narrow range in Panama, Venezuela, and the Andes.

Here is one photographed near Canopy Lodge in Valle de Anton, Panama.

The Merlin app states that this hummingbird likes small, purple flowers. Apparently this one followed instructions!