Female Hummingbird for #FemaleBirdDay
May 29-31 is Female Bird Day (Female Bird Day weekend?).
Female birds often get overlooked by birdwatchers because they sometimes sport duller colors, having evolved earth tones that help keep them safe from predators. Birdwatchers—and I’m guilty of this in my bird photography, too—prefer to focus on the flashier-looking males rather than the often (but not always) more understated females.
Project Galbatross—a group of scientists, birders, writers, and conservationists connected through the National Audubon Society—started Female Bird Day to draw attention to the beauty and behavioral complexity of female birds. For three days, they’re encouraging birders to prioritize female birds: “Challenge yourself to use behavior, vocalizations, and other sex-specific clues to ID species.”
This weekend I’m going to post a few of my favorite female bird photographs. I’m starting with this hummingbird, which I photographed in my backyard last month.
Location: Silverton, Oregon
Date: April 2, 2021
Exposure: 1/1000 second, f/9, ISO 800
Focal Length: 850 mm
Gear:
Camera: Nikon D750
Lens: Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary with a 1.4x teleconverter