It's raining and the wet black-capped chickadees are hungry

This one is doing pull-ups!

Listening to the birds chirping outside while painting the Indigo Bunting

The Indigo Bunting which is part of the Cardinal family,

migrates between Canada, USA, Mexico, West Indies, and South America.

This one was a rare sight outside, and it was certainly in migration

Sometimes i have to turn the painting upside down to get the right effect

Indigo Bunting on the Birch Tree

24"x24" oil painting on canvas

It's been a great day learning to capture the unique flying ability of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Testing my focus with a little bee over the roses

I changed the position of the feeder so that the sun shines on the birds back

While waiting, I can hear 

The female muttering something about me to her partner 

🙄

And here comes the hummingbird!

This tiny bird (about 2 inches long) with it's high wingbeat frequency 

Can not only fly forward,

It can also fly backwards and hover in mid-air, and it is very fast.

While hovering, the hummingbird wings can beat upto 80 times per second!

If you like these photos,

Here are my camera settings.

Shutter Priority (TV)

Shutter Speed 1/8000

ISO Auto

High Speed Continous

Standard

Cloudy

Focus Manual Selection

Evaluative Metering

AF Mode One shot

(The next time I must change this to AI Focus) 🤭

The hummingbird is now a regular visitor

Now the hummingbird has become a regular visitor!

Several visits during the day proves it loves the nectar, and the surroundings.

All sightings are marked on our calendar.

I have to get better at hummingbird photography, 

By trying to capture that high speed movement of its wings!

Will be taking lots of photos over the next few days

Got better details of the wings, and the little feathers on it's head 😄

Unlike the previous photos with a big Sigma telephoto lens on a tripod,

For these photos, I used a smaller Canon lens hand held

with these settings

TV (shutter priority)

Shutter speed 1/2000

ISO 2000

Hope the next series is clearer.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Having briefly seen (for 3 to 4 seconds) the hummingbird since May 30th,

Today i decided to patiently wait for a photograph

Setup the camera &waited for 2 hours
without taking my eyes off the bird feeder(s)

Nothing ...

A friend called and said they would like to drop by for a few minutes.
After that visit, several hours later,
My wife and I sat down focussed on the birdfeeder(s)
And a couple of minutes later ...

This is a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Hummingbirds have a special place in my heart

Because I've had a few spiritual experiences connected with their appearance

Which no one else will ever understand!