Photo Shoot: Return of the hummingbirds
May has moved into its second week but the weather hasn’t budged its stubborn April habits, cold drizzle, lots of wind and the furnace still running like March. Throw in a week where gasoline prices reached their highest ever in Massachusetts, ditto for many grocery items and lastly, the mailman brings the homeowner insurance renewal policy which has jumped 30%.
In short, the winter doldrums have returned. Fighting back I put up the hummingbird feeder.
Yes, I keep records of such things and last year it was the first week in May. So up it went, awaiting another season of hummingbird action. The first day its clothesline tether gave way in gale force winds, dropping to the ground, coating the lawn in a sugar slick, at least the ants were happy. New rope, new day, less wind and it has survived. Day 3 arrived and lo and behold so did one of the male ruby-throated hummingbirds, its throat blazing in the rare appearance of the morning sun. These tiny birds winter in Mexico and Central America which immediately makes them smarter than us. Their journey north takes them across the Gulf of Mexico, 500 miles of open water flying, which, according to the Perky-Pet Bird Feeder website, they can accomplish in as little as 18 hours.
Now, winter bird feeding is a simple affair — a couple cups of sunflower seed in the feeder, sit back by the window and watch the action. Most of the time this is like watching landings at Logan Airport. Chickadees zoom in and out, cardinals warily wait their turn and blue jays blast in like 747s scattering the crowd.
Hummingbird season presents a much different experience. First, more patience is needed. The birds are quite territorial and so rarely have I seen two at the same time. Sometimes there are beak to beak aerial maneuvers as one tries to shoo away the other. Then long lulls with no birds at all. My boudoir bird photography setup allows capturing their visits in relative ease. I can sit on the edge of the bed; train a 500 mm lens through a small clean spot on the window with direct sight line to the feeder, about 10 feet away. This cozy setup by no means guarantees success. These little guys are fast, often not alighting but wings beating, hovering as they drink.
Following their method, I occasionally bring in snacks and a beverage for the photo shoot, although eating in bed is supposed to be off limits. A recent afternoon was so windy and wet I thought chances were slim for a sighting, but an intrepid flyer arrived, stared me down after his fill-up and zoomed off. Surely if he could fly in those conditions, I could survive another week of March in May.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Photo Shoot: Return of the hummingbirds
