There is no boring moment when watching the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds feeding on the flowers or drinking from the feeders. No doubt that the nectar of the Bee Balm is their favorite food at the moment. The flowers may have passed their prime but still deliver plenty of food. The immature birds already feed independently and there is a constant coming and going. Immature males and females look essentially the same in their first year, both resembling adult females. During the late summer many young males acquire some random red iridescent feathers on the throat.
I like to shoot with relatively long exposure because I want a nice blur of their wings. Just the same way as you can see them when they hover at a flower. The flower bed was in the shade already this evening but a hint of flash helps to bring out the iridescent colors of their feathers and helps to “freeze” the part that needs to be sharp, the eye of the hummer.
1/100 s, f/6.3, ISO 400, @ 600 mm, -2/3 EV, flash -3 EV; with Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, MAGMOD MagBeam flash extender;