Hummingbirds are truly captivating! But you might be asking yourself why the Stripe-throated Hermit looks similar to a hummingbird but is named Hermit. Biologists must answer that question; I want the picture to demonstrate the complexity and make the point: that this bird deserves special consideration because of its small size. From looking at them with naked eyes, binoculars, and viewfinders they seem larger than life – an amazing trick of the mind’s playing on our senses that intrigues me enough to continue photographing these lightning bolts. The Stripe-throated Hummingbird can often be found near the bottom of its respective species’ pecking orders; being jostled around by more than 20 other hummingbird species in an area. Appearing like an invisible ghost in shrubbery before dissappearing again quickly. How could this bird weighing as little as a penny and no bigger than a business card be communicated in an image was my challenge this week. At first, the Hermit was larger in the frame with more shrubbery around him; I quickly realized this wasn’t going to work; it just looked “big.” So I reverted back to basics; my eye gravitates first towards light and brightness in a frame before considering sharpness – something I have learned over decades works so effectively in conveying visual stories. In this instance, my task was to locate one blossom with ideal lighting and catch a Stripe-throated bird feeding on it. Although you cannot tell from this photo, the rain forest at a mile distance formed part of my background. As our shooting area was limited, I held onto my Z 9 / Z600f4 TC @840mm handheld while waiting for our subject. Once it appeared, I set out on an exciting hunt to capture its feeding spec in my viewfinder and follow its feeding. When the light dimmed further I needed to raise ISO 1600 while depending on Auto Area AF-Bird to lock onto its prey – in this instance a Hermit. On my fourth day, I got lucky. While out exploring, a blossom came close enough for me to see its magnificence up close; and yet still amazes me to this day – only weighs pennies!
