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All photos on this site are the property of Russ Thompson and may not be used by anyone for financial gain.
Please use the following links to enjoy all the features of my site.
Animated gifs are made using a few photos to suggest motion and this is an example of one. If you enjoy viewing them, I have 100 plus gifs for viewing on my other site.
Please visit and let me know what you think of them.
Welcome to Enjoyable Hummingbirds
**Ruby-throated Hummingbirds eating from hand-
held flowers, handheld feeders, and from my palm
**Hummingbird nest with two babies & mother
feeding a baby
**Hummingbirds bathing
**50 plus hummingbirds migrating through my
yard - more hand feeding
**Hummingbirds split/forked tongue
**Hummingbirds fighting for their feeders
**Numerous photos/clips of hummingbirds
enjoying flowers
**Slow motion clips
**Animated photos suggesting motion
**Banding hummingbirds
**Carlo Ferraro's Latin America hummingbird clips
Have you ever seen a hummingbird's tongue as he/she drinks sugar water from your feeders?
These video clips show some Ruby-throated Hummingbirds eating sugar water from a hummingbird feeder that has a clear tube. The tongue is forked or split - the hummingbird extends its tongue into the tube, opens the forked tongue to capture sugar water - closes the tongue - then the tongue filled with sugar water returns into the hummingbird's bill where the food is released to be swallowed.
THIS PHOTO IS A SAMPLE OF MY HUMMINGBIRDS AT FLOWERS
My latest project is photographing hummingbirds, in natural light, enjoying some of their many hummingbird plants. Presently, I have lots of photos featuring hummingbirds at over 100 different plants. I will display 20 per page and continue adding more as I get them. I have labeled each plant to the best of my knowledge and hopefully all are correct. If you know one is mislabeled please inform me and I will check it out.
More Flower Photos click here
Hummingbird Jigsaw Puzzles at Jigzone
I hope you enjoy your visit and please share my site with your friends
Russ Thompson
Louisville, Ky
Dicliptera Suberecta & Juvenile Ruby-throated
These hummingbirds at Land Between Lakes Hummingbird Festival in Kentucky were startled by a juvenile Red Bellied Woodpecker as they were in a feeding frenzy. The hummingbird numbers went from many to one as the woodpecker arrived to enjoy some sugar water.
Most of the time he would remove the yellow flower for easier access to the sugar water but this time he just extended his tongue through the small opening and enjoyed the treat.
Don't expect hummingbirds not to fight and defend their property. It is their instinct to own all the flowers and feeders in their yard. The fewer hummingbirds you have the more they fight. When the numbers increase enough to force them to share they become a little more willing to allow another hummingbird to share their feeder.
These two juvenile males are just discussing ownership of a feeder.
Lots more hummingbird fight scenes can be found in these photos
Hand feeding hummingbirds is really neat because you get to see them up close and even feel the air from their wings.
Over the years I have been fortunate to gain the trust of hummingbirds and have them eat from my hand. They will visit your hand to eat from feeders, feeder bases and cut flowers.
You can get adult male and female hummingbirds to eat from handheld feeders as you can see in these photos.
Give it a try - all you have to do is get the hummingbirds used to YOU being around the feeder - then remove the feeder from its normal hanging place, hold the feeder in your hand near where it normally hangs and after a few tries the hummingbird will visit the feeder.
It does require being still and quiet - any movement will scare the hummingbird away.
Hummingbird migration clips from 2011. Lots of action and some sharing feeders.
These clips were shot one night and the following morning.
At first the adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbird tried to scare the immature Ruby-throated from the feeder using a threatening pose.
Then he decided to yank him off the feeder but the immature just totally ignored the adult pulling on his feathers.
The adult male just backed away and left after not getting a reaction from the immature.
Animated gif of young male hummingbird Enjoying Cape Fuchsia
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds enjoy the many varieties of Honeysuckle Vines and they are highly recommended for your hummingbird garden. Here in Kentucky they are blooming in April when the hummingbirds arrive and continue blooming until the hummingbirds migrate in October.
In spite of the problems with mildew and aphids honeysuckle blooms are a good source of nectar for your visitors. Check your vines early (prior to hummingbirds arriving in the spring) and treat or cut away the vine that is infected with aphids. Mildew problems are harder to deal with and determined by how much rain you receive in early spring. Google "mildew on honeysuckle vines"for help.
Another example of a hummingbird at a feeder ----
If you have observed hummingbirds hovering at feeders, you have seen this action many times. This Ruby-throated Hummingbird was enjoying some sugar water but would back away from the feeder and hover in between drinks. My camera caught a few shots of the 50 or so (per second) flaps of the wings as she hovered and I was able to make this animation suggesting motion.
Omaha Variegated Sage - This is a good late blooming Salvia that migrating hummingbirds really enjoyed.
Lobelia - blue, white or red - it doesn't matter they seem to like all colors
Lady in Red Salvia - a must for all hummingbird gardens. It is an annual but it reseeds well and you can save all the seeds you desire to replant every summer.
Look closely at the blooms and you can see the basic shape of a hummingbird. That is why these are truly known as Hummingbird Salvias.
Guatemalan Blue Vine Sage
" Cacaliaefolia"
Hummingbird's tongue in action - through these animated photos you can see how the tongue is used to draw nectar into the bill. Note this female hummingbird is molting (replacing feathers) and photos are from mid-August 2011
Video showing same action next on this page
To See More Panoramic Shots of Hummingbirds at Flowers, etc - click here
