The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are making their way south through my region over the next few weeks and I want to focus on getting some decent images of them. Behind where I live there's a short service road through a small open area where I have already set up some perches for my photography. I'd like to add a hummingbird feeder to the mix, but don't want photos of the hummingbirds on the feeder. I would like for them to perch on something close by. Would it make sense to hang the feeder from my existing perches, hoping they'd use that perch to rest before/after feeding, or could I maybe zip tie some perches on to the feeder? Curious if others have tried a similar approach. Thanks!
I've had hummingbird feeders up for many years and as you say I don't really like photographing them on the feeders but prefer them flying or perched on natural perches. FWIW, at least around here they don't tend to perch right near the feeders though they often perch within sight of a feeder though that tends to be on a small tree twig or in a nearby bush and not so much on an obvious perch out in the open the way other birds might near feeders.
The easiest flight shots are near feeders and I usually frame the image with the feeder itself right outside the frame and wait for them to come in, feed and then back off and hover near the feeder. The same can happen near flowers and in that case I usually observe which flowers they frequent and then set up near those flowers waiting for them to come in and feed.
In terms of perched shots, I usually just observe where they naturally land and often there's some preferred perch or bush that they return to several times and then I set up and wait in the area.
Here's a few shots using those approaches:
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