A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird standing guard at my hummingbird feeder - Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Six minutes in the life of a hummer that includes two wing stretches, a couple white streaks, some tongue action & licking, numerous flashes on its ruby-throat, a yawn, a hop and a short flight.
But mostly just sitting and keeping a close eye on it's surroundings, before taking leave on another trip to the feeder for a quick refueling.

Click on the following link for the HD 1080P full screen version on Youtube.

Tags:   KH0831 Maine Town ThousandPlus 1000+ Top 1000 Bird Nature

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Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Today I had a clear sky with a sunlit feeder, so I picked an angle that gave me a dark background from the woods behind the house, and laid in wait for a possible subject.

For this natural light capture I used the 9 point-box with AF in servo mode, a 600 mm lens at F8, 1/640 and ISO 800.
The subject distance was about 25 feet.

Tags:   KH0831 Maine ThousandPlus Smithsonian2018 Town 1000+ Top 1000 Bird Nature

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And we're too busy gobbling to put anybody down!"

Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) - Dock Road, Alna, Maine

Tags:   KH0831 Maine Bird Turkey Eukaryota Animalia Chordata Aves Galliformes Phasianidae Meleagris gallopavo Meleagris gallopavo Nature

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Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) - Behind the House of Pizza, Townsend Road, Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Easier to find a Savannah Sparrow than good pizza in Maine!
Imagine finding both in the same place!

Tags:   KH0831 Maine Town Bird Eukaryota Animalia Chordata Aves Passeriformes Passerellidae Passerculus sandwichensis Passerculus sandwichensis Ammodramus beldingi Ammodramus beldingi Nature

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Song Sparror - Boothbay Harbor Elementary School Grounds, Boothbay Harbor, Maine

A song Sparrow atop a pile of dead sticks cleared out of a nearby wood. One of the things they do in Maine
to prevent a Californ-ocalypse.

Captured at a distance of 50 feet. And with the six at ƒ/5.6 the DOF was about right to isolate the sparrow from the sticks, while leaving them unblurred enough to define the pile.
But even so, if you look closely you can see how the focus tracking mode got better focus on its back, while leaving its eye a wee bit soft (part of the price to be paid when using Canon's AI servo tracking mode to focus on small critters in complex situations).
And a good argument for using the mirrorless Sony α7ʀ4 in MF mode, where native Sony lenses jump to 10x mag in the viewfinder when you touch the focus ring.

Tags:   Town Bird Nature

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