Hummingbirds and Cardinals

John Briggs — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:19:52 +0000

Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Click photo for larger view

Hummingbird migration is underway here along the midcoastof Maine. Since the beginning of the week, Ruby-throated Hummingbird activity has increased 3 fold. My estimates put the yard population of these jewels at 20 individuals which include the 3 nesting pairs who have been around all summer, their young and others coming through to fatten up on nectar. (One of the nesting pair had a nest failure.)

With 10 nectar feeders spread throughout our yard there are still issues. As soon as a hummer lands on a feeder, others descend onto the offender from the trees and shrubs and the chattering and chasing begins.

There are times when I have been in the yard refilling feeders and feared getting run over by these little rockets. They want nothing at their feeders, yours truly included. Sitting on the back deck has become a lesson in the art of dodging these buzzing beauties.

Hummingbirds are not the easiest birds to photograph. Ideally, you would like the bird to land on a natural perch but this is not always the case. Lately I have been using my HD camcorder to capture video of Hummingbirds.

While in the yard Tuesday, a recently fledged female Northern Cardinal was sitting in a shrub looking as if it was lost to the world. The poor soul looked around as if looking for it’s mother. Occasionally, it’s beak would open as if it was saying “Mama… where are you?”

I am shooting plenty of video of the Hummingbirds that are visiting our yard. I hope to have a compilation ready in a week or two. In the mean time, I put together the following HD video.

The first part of this video highlights a Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding at one of our nectar feeders. The second part captures a juvenile female Northern Cardinal. For a wide screen view, click the video to go to the You Tube page that it’s hosted on. Once there, clicking on the HD icon will put the video in wide-screen mode.

Enjoy!

Happy birding!

Dunlin Video

John Briggs — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:53:44 +0000

I am finally getting the hang of our HD video camcorder. Still much to learn, but at least I can upload in the HD format.

This video was taken at Goose Rocks Beach near Kennebunkport, Maine. It features a male Dunlin in breeding plumage. If you click the HD button at the bottom of the video, the quality is much better.

After the video has started playing, clicking on the video itself will take you to the YouTube page where the video is stored. Then you may click the HD button for a widescreen version of the video.

Happy birding!

Birding in Maine» HD Video

Hummingbirds and Cardinals

Dunlin Video