The photos above show the classic traits of an Albino - pink eyes, pink feet, and a pink bill. Not just a white hummingbird but a true albino. These photographs and an accompanying article appeared in "BIRDS & BLOOMS" Magazine. Thanks for stopping by. Jim Foster
NEVER PASS UP A PHOTO
By Jim Foster
The morning had been vastly productive and I was very pleased with the results. Photographing nesting osprey is many times frustrating but today it seemed they were posing for the camera and I had stayed much longer than intended.
The telephone rang as I was finishing a late lunch. It was my neighbor Bill Mead, a Lemhi Valley native, calling to invite me out to take more photographs. I was a split second away from begging off when he said his aunt had called saying she had a white hummingbird at her feeder.
In seconds I grabbed a jacket, my camera gear and was sitting in my neighbor’s pick-up.
The 30-mile drive seemed more like 60 miles as I looked out the window and watched the sun sink lower in the west.
Even without a white hummer Aunt Clover would be an interesting lady. Besides bird watching and alerting photographers she and her family have quite a history in the Lemhi Valley of Idaho. Her father was one of the last stagecoach drivers crossing the Lemhi Pass between Montana and Idaho - the same pass Lewis and Clark crossed in their trek to the Pacific Ocean.
After settling in with my photo gear on her front porch it was a full thirty minutes before the little white bird arrived. There had been other hummingbirds at the feeders during our wait and now they set it harassing their white cousin.
During the search period my Alpen binoculars came in handy for slowly scanning through the branches and using their close focus feature to see the hummers at the feeder. I did spot the white hummer in a tree some distance away through the binoculars.
Getting the first shot was tough until I figured out their program. My shots would need to be in the first thirty seconds to a minute when the the white hummer settled or hovered before the other birds tried to run him off.
He did finally get to feed while the others left him alone. He spent most of his time either perched on an electric line or in a nearby tree where the little white bird stood out distinctly.
Shooting in this way required a fast lens and a steady hand. The rapid movement of the birds made handholding a must. For this I was shooting a Canon 20D digital body shooting in the raw mode, using a Canon 2.8 70 to 200-zoom lens. In case of a distance problem I had both a 1.4 and 2X doubler's tucked in my pocket.
As I began to lose the light I moved my camera speed from 100 up to 200. As the light faded I was extremely happy for the fast lens. Shooting at every chance the little white bird afforded me I was kept quite busy.
Then the white hummer was gone.
“Oh well,” I thought, “there is always tomorrow.” I thought.
As the kids say, “NOT!” The next day at that location produced nothing.
The white hummer must have had enough of the unfriendly environment and moved on to more hospitable locales. After several trips without his appearance, I gave up.
The little white hummer did teach this old photo dog that I should never be too hasty in declining a photo opportunity and, shoot today because tomorrow’s chance may never appear.
If you news or comments about this or other articles Jim's Email is jim@jimfosteroutdoors.com
