The hummingbirds have discovered my feeder. The blue color does not seem to discourage them.
In case you cannot find him in that photo, here is a close-up:
These are ruby-throated hummingbirds. I know that because half of them -- the male half of the population -- have a bright red patch on their throat. I also know this because ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only hummers in this part of the continent.
In the interest of science I have been timing how long a hummingbird hovers to take a drink. So far, the median length of time -- and the maximum, too -- is exactly one thousandth of a second less than it takes me to grab my camera and boot it up.
That results in a lot of pictures like this.
And this.
Goldfinches tend to hang around much longer and thus are much easier to capture digitally.
Notice the captivating screen effect? I got that by taking the photo through the window screen. Notice how the screen is perfectly in focus but the bird is not? I worked long and hard to get that effect. Any and all feeder photos I take between now and, say, late September will have what I like to call Kat™'s Screen Effect.
Crap.
