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Hanging out with the Hummingbirds

Posted Sunday, January 18, 2026Sunday, January 18, 2026 Jess YarnellPosted in My Parents' Backyard

Yesterday my dad’s cat Precious had a problem. It was a beautiful day, nice and warm, and she was inside! So my dad and I decided to let her out on the porch, and while we supervised her, see if we could photograph the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in his yard. Precious thought this was a fantastic idea.

Our first bird was a male Ruby-throated. He showed off his red gorget but hid behind the flowers. My mom’s Red Rocket plant (Russelia sarmentosa, related to the firecracker plants you can find at Lowes and Home Depot) is a hummingbird magnet. I’ve been trying to get some established in my garden too.

Next up we had a juvenile male. You can tell from the speckles on his gorget that he’s a little boy (a female would be entirely white). Actually this bird confused me for a few minutes, because he had a ton of pollen on his chin that glistened green in the sun. You always hope you have a rare species of bird but nope, he just needed to wipe his chin!

Patience is the key with photographing hummers. My shots got better and better, and I was able to isolate the birds nectaring from individual flowers. I dialed up my ISO too, even though it was sunny, to make sure my shutter speed was fast enough to freeze the wings (ok, almost freeze the wings). This last shot was my favorite. The only thing that would make it better would be if you could see the one wee spot of red on the bird’s gorget. In a few months, he’ll be sporting a chinful of red!

Sleepy Morning at the Lake

Posted Sunday, January 11, 2026Sunday, January 11, 2026 Jess YarnellPosted in Lake Morton

I stopped by Lake Morton last weekend, not sure what I’d find but happy to be out with the camera again. A local photographer pointed out an otter and said the day was kind of slow. The wind was picking up as a cold front moved through, so the birds were hunkered down at the sides of the lake. It was a good morning for a walk and head shots!

The Mute Swans were sleeping in that morning. They floated lazily near the lake shore, pausing to squint at me and ask what I was doing awake so early. Sometimes birds ask very intelligent questions!

A trio of Limpkins was hanging out near the water’s edge. They are very tame at this location, so they didn’t object when I squatted down to eye level for some head shots. The pale backdrop of bright morning light was beautiful.

Nearby a Great Blue Heron was contemplating the dawn. He’s getting his blue lore that is part of his breeding plumage. So is the snazzy plume behind his head. Pretty soon he’ll be thinking about building a nest but today he was focused on staring off into space.

This grackle cracked me up. He hopped to a rock on the edge of the lake to investigate a small apple snail egg, probably left there by one of the Limpkins. The grackle was curious and poked it several times before lifting it triumphantly with his beak. He seemed to be showing me his prize. Simple little images like this were always the best to share with my mom.

I continued my walk around the lake. In the early morning, it’s a fun mix of light and shadow, reflection and muted color. This Ring-billed Gull was standing on a small wall and was only slightly dubious of the large human with giant cylinder pointed right at him. If he only knew that the large human was thinking, “what a pretty muted blue background!”

The lake is a great place for wintering ducks and this morning was no exception. I found Ring-necked, Ruddy, and the normal mixture of Mallards and Mottleds. I didn’t see the wintering Redhead though. Then I had to laugh when I saw the feeding party near the swan feeder. The swan’s neck was long enough to reach the food, and a little spilled out each time she ate. The ducks gathered nearby and quickly dove to grab the food. That’s when I realized we had a few Lesser Scaups in the party, too.

I did several laps around the lake, enjoying the breeze and the fresh air. As I started to leave, this Mute Swan stopped to pose for me, reminding me that nesting season is just right around the corner. “Come back soon!”

New Year’s Spoonbills!

Posted Sunday, January 4, 2026Sunday, January 4, 2026 Jess YarnellPosted in Orlando Wetlands

On New Year’s Day I had a rare couple of free hours, so I headed over to Orlando Wetlands to photograph one of my favorite birds – the Roseate Spoonbill. Even though we’d just had a cold snap and the people were bundled up in heavy jackets, the birds are hearing the call of spring. Breeding plumages are emerging and nesting competitions have already begun!

It was the perfect afternoon for photographing these beautiful birds. The sky was clear, the setting sun was to my back, and the winds were from the west, meaning that the birds would take off and land with their wings pointed right at my camera lens. The park was busy with holiday guests who were all gawking at the pink birds. “Those aren’t flamingos!!” was a common observation.

The birds nest in trees not too far from the boardwalk. It’s pretty easy to observe them as they roost in the treetops. The male bird above is in full breeding plumage, with dark carmine streaks on his wings, more pronounced orange on his face and tail, and darker red legs. After he took off from this branch, he joined his mate who was already on eggs.

The action can be quite spectacular when the birds start flying just before sunset. On this particular afternoon, I think they were tired from their New Year’s festivities, because they were incredibly low-key. For about half an hour I watched this bird preen himself. Look at the little tufts of fur on the back of his head – that’s part of his emerging breeding plumage.

The sun dipped lower in the sky, and the light was just perfect on the birds. They are beautiful but not entirely graceful. They will stand on a branch for several minutes, calculating their next move. Then they sort of heave themselves in the air and flap their wings as if they are going to fly a large distance – all while they kind of propel themselves to the adjacent branch. It seems like an inefficient use of energy but it does yield great wing-flap opportunities!

Just as the ranger came around to close the boardwalk for the evening, a sharp sound got all the birds in the air. For a couple of frantic minutes, the photographers worked their shutters while pink feathers filled the skies with action shots. So I ended up with a few flight shots – and a desire to head back the next time the weather cooperates!