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Allen's Hummingbird


Allen's Hummingbird
Photo Information
Copyright: Binh Nguyen (Howler-Cat) Silver Note Writer [C: 3 W: 0 N: 54] (256)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-03-31
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 30 D, Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L with 2X converter
Exposure: f/8, 1/500 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Harry Eggens favorite bird shots, colourful, Fauna of NEOTROPIC (Central & South America) Reg. [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-04-14 21:28
Viewed: 5836
Favorites: 2 [view]
Points: 42
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
The Allen's Hummingbird, Selasphorus sasin, is a species of hummingbird. The Allen's Hummingbird is a small bird, with mature adults reaching only 3 to 3½ inches in length. The male Allen's has a green back and forehead, with rust-colored rufous flanks, rump, and tail. The male's throat is also an iridescent orange-red. The female and immature Allen's Hummingbirds are similarly colored, but lack the iridescent throat patch, instead having a series of speckles on their throat. Females are mostly green, featuring rufous colors only on the tail, which also has white tips. The female and immature Allen's Hummingbirds are so similar to the female Rufous Hummingbird that the two are almost indistinguishable in the field. Both species' breeding seasons and ranges are common factors used to differentiate between the two species in a particular geographical area.

The Allen's Hummingbird is common only in the brushy woods, gardens, and meadows of coastal California from Santa Barbara north, and a minuscule portion of lower Oregon. The nominate race of Allen's Hummingbird, S.s. sasin is migratory, and winters along the Pacific coast of central Mexico. A second race S.s. sedentarius is a permanent resident on the Channel Islands off southern California. This population colonized the Palos Verdes Peninsula of Los Angeles County in the 1960s and has since spread over much of Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

The courtship flight of the male Allen's Hummingbird is a frantic back and forth flight arc of about 25 feet similar to the motion of a swinging pendulum, followed by a high-speed dive from about 100 feet. The male is also highly aggressive and territorial. Hot-tempered despite its diminutive stature, a male Allen's Hummingbird will chase any other males from its territory, as well as any other hummingbird species, and they have even been known to attack and rout predatory birds several times larger than themselves such as kestrels and hawks.

The Allen's Hummingbird constructs its nest out of plant fibers, down, and weed stems, coating the nest with lichens to give it structure. The nest is placed above ground on a tree branch or the stalk or stem of a plant. The female lays two white eggs, which she will incubate for 15 to 17 days. The young will leave the nest about three weeks after hatching. The mother will continue to feed the fledglings for several more weeks, then the young are left to fend for themselves.

Like all hummingbirds, the Allen's Hummingbird's high rate of metabolism requires it to feed frequently, about every 10 to 15 minutes. The Allen's Hummingbird drinks nectar from flowers, as well as eating any small insects it finds crawling around the flower blossom, which provide it with needed protein.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
vanderschelden, Proframe, jconceicao, crs, spalaxtr, marhowie, Hil, PaulGana, avallaunius, Taralee has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

amazing capture, TFS Ori

  • Great 
  • Hil Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 696 W: 13 N: 1407] (5035)
  • [2008-04-14 22:22]

Hi Binh

I'm pleased to see you finally got your image uploaded after seeing in the forum all the trouble you were having, and I must say it was worth the wait as its a beautiful capture.
Very nicely composed with a great POV and a excellent pose.
The feather detail is nice and sharp.
superb colours and the hummer is very nicely lit.
Welcome to TN

Hil

Excellent picture like Hil said.
Welcome to TN and the hummer club with me.
Thanh.

  • Great 
  • Aramok Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 896 W: 101 N: 1501] (5166)
  • [2008-04-14 23:53]

Hi

Glad to read that the posting issues are resolved and what a beauty this one is. I really like the line of flowers down the right hand side and the excellent lighting.

Great start and am looking forward to much more to come!

TFS
Emma

(PS Welcome to TN and hope you get your pc sorted.)

Hi Binh,
great post to start with. Welcom to TN.
Sharpness is fine and composition and colors are great.
TFS Tatjana

beautiful capture

  • Great 
  • efsus Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 415 W: 11 N: 843] (3947)
  • [2008-04-15 1:43]

Merhaba Binh,
Isigii, renkleri ve kompozisyonu ile etkileyici bir kare sunmussunuz. Basarili bir calisma . Elinize saglik. Huseyin

Hello Binh,
Welcome!
Extraordinary image. For example it is technically well done especially if you take into account the 2x converter.
Well done
TFS
Annick

Hi Binh,

Fantastic picture.Wonderdul colours with excellent detail.I liked very much.

Hello Binh,

A warm welcome to TN.
What a great in flight shot of this lovely Hummingbird to start of with.
Technically flawless with great sharpness, depth of field, composition and exposure.
The movement in the wing is wonderful and does give the scene a wonderful sence of action.
The soft background color tones, against wich the bird and flower do stand out perfectly, is wonderful also.
Fantastic colors and details.
Perfect work and great note. Thanks for sharing and I really hope to see more of your outstanding images in the near future here on TN.

Best regards and have a nice day,

Harry

  • Great 
  • crs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 469 W: 0 N: 922] (3551)
  • [2008-04-15 3:17]

Hi Binh,

This is an excelent photo! Both image quality and colors are astonishing. Very nice, sharp details of the bird ar to be seen. Also good details of the flower the bird is feeding from are available. Very good way of managing the light rendereing very nice natural lookibg color tones.

Thank you for sharing,
Cristian

Hi Binh

Welcome to TN, hope you have fun here.
Great first shot, a lovely specimen and well captured
Great sharpness and excellent composition

Chris

simply world class - outstanding

Hi Binh,
What a beautiful photo of this bird I have not seen before. Great timing for such a fast bird. Your composition and detail are stunning.I like also the light in the eye. TFS.
Regards.
Mustafa

Hello Binh & welcome.
This is an excellent image for your first post, will look for the next one :)
I grew up in Orange County California where you live. Lived there most of my life..I was a hop & a skip from Huntington Beach, in Anaheim.
Very nice work,
Howard

Hi Binh,
Very nice capture. Great composition and details.
TFS
Wei

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5137 W: 166 N: 13121] (49139)
  • [2008-04-15 12:38]

Hello Binh,
This is high class fotography. The sharpness and details in this in flight Hummingbird are fantastic. The light on the bird is spectacular, the colours excellent. Great composition, POV, DOF and BG.
Regards,
Peter

Witaj Binh to TN,

W O W ! Fantastically seized movement. Sharp shot. Splendid colours.

Pozdrawiam - Roma

great composition, nice focus, and color, love how you framed the scene on the right with the flower and able to capture the humming bird in flight

  • Great 
  • deud Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 438 W: 11 N: 534] (2540)
  • [2009-01-25 22:20]

great note. amazing action in-flight shot!
very colorful and beautiful.

tfs.

Exquisite! perfect sharpness, colour and detail, beautiful composition - TFS

what a spectacular picture..ironically i am uploading now and i think its this bird!! how funny!

YOURS IS AMAZING

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