Ruby-throated hummingbirds are common east of the Mississippi, readily come to hummingbird feeders, are tiny,
and extremely fast. They are so fast the unaided eye cannot catch the fascinating details of hummingbirds
approaching a target, using tail feathers to brake, alighting and departing. This website is a sequence of late-July
photos taken at a hummingbird feeder in Andover, Maine. The photos were taken at a shutter speed between 1/1600
sec and 1/2000 sec, fast enough to almost freeze the action but also show motion. All photos were shot with a
Canon EOS 5D digital camera, a 500 mm lens with 1.4X teleconverter, a rigid tripod, and a lot of patience.
The male's throat has a ruby-red gorget with black chin and face. However, the iridescent ruby color is apparent
only when the lighting is just right, the throat otherwise appearing to be just a very dark red. The female ruby-
throat has a whitish neck and underparts but with white primary tail feathers and black secondary tail feathers. This
white-black pattern becomes distinct upon approach to the perch.
It is easy to hear a hummingbird approaching the vicinity of a feeder, with a distinct humming sound caused by the
rapid beats of the wings.
Keith Carver