Slow Motion Hummingbirds 4 (HD 720p)

[DuckODuckProductions]

You need a higher framerate camera to get a better effect. Nevertheless, a good video!

[jcmegabyte]

@DuckODuckProductions Indeed - the camera used for the first 4-1/2 SloMo Hummingbird vids was only able to slow the action down by about 1/4 realtime. About half-way through SloMo HB5 I started using a Casio EX-F1 (300/600fps) for some mouch better SloMo action. :-) Thanks for checking it out!

[w0000dpecker]

NOT SLOW ENOUGH; VOTED OFF THE ISLAND

[snowflake8439]

Excellent & beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

[jcmegabyte]

I'm happy you enjoyed the show - thanks for watching!

[mh605]

Amazing and beautiful.  "Blessed are you, O God, who have such things in your world."

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much for watching and commenting! =)

[khmerstar08]

~*~ Dat is so awesome....amazing....wonderfu­l as always jcme.... love it so much 5*/5* ~*~

~ Star*

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks! You might like SloMo HB 5 and 6 too - are the ones where I started using the "real" slow motion camera. Thanks for watcing!

[bellduckfilm]

This is just a video shot with a standard HD camera and then slowed down...

[jcmegabyte]

Yep. A Canon HF100, specifically. If you use the high speed shutter (at 1/2000th sec) and play the 30fps footage back at 7.5 fps you can get some slow motion interesting effects, although it's not *very* slow motion.

Starting with SloMo Hummingbirds 5, I've been shooting with the Casio EX-F1, at 300 and 600 fps, for some much slower slow motion, albeit lower resolution. Still, interesting footage though.

[DamienZshadow]

Reminds me of Squawk from Donkey Kong Country...but in all seriousness, this was absolutely amazing to watch. I can't believe the grace it has at flapping those wings 50 beats per second and in the way it curls its tips every flap. Unbelievable.

[jcmegabyte]

Definitely fascinating little birds - especially when slowed down a lot! Thanks for watching :-)

[josetrost]

nice camera and music, could use a better photographer

[Krakatur25]

That looks amazing, even not of this earth. Too bad they dont live long.

[jcmegabyte]

Yea, I think the longest known is something like 13 years. 3-6 is more typical. Thanks for watching :-)

[GERMANETCHEVERRY]

Gran video!

5*****

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for the view and stars! =)

[13bia2]

Amazing!!!

[jcmegabyte]

Glad you enjoyed - thanks for watching! :-)

[TheJcrowe]

is this animated?

[jcmegabyte]

All shot with an HD camcorder, then slowed down to 1/4 speed. No tricks, CG or animation - real stuff! :-)

[paulsak59]

uber-cool. nicely done.

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for checking it out! =)

[ez2ciwin]

has anyone ever cought one with bare hands?

[jcmegabyte]

I haven't but I'm sure it's been done. You'd have to be really careful not to hurt the bird though - it's probably easy to squish them if you try to move fast enough to catch one!

[kiannasutube]

It's amazing to see them seem to hover in the air. Great job!

[jcmegabyte]

I get to see them every day and still they are fascinating to watch! Thanks for checking it out :-)

[candi6289]

Their wings are so beautiful! It's almost as if they are bending...

[jcmegabyte]

It's really hard to see thewings clearly, even with a FAST shutter speed like 1/2000 sec! My new camera slows them down even more! :-)

[candi6289]

Starting at about 0.38 seconds...

[jcmegabyte]

I believe that is a trick of the image sensor/scan rate... When viewed at a high frame rate there is no bend (or very little) at all. Their wings are actually quite stiff. :-)

[giulianopietra]

.... Spettacolare!!!

 Complimenti

mandi Giuliano

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much! :-)

[KevinCali24]

10 stars for this video. ;-)

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed :-)

[KevinCali24]

My dad is going to get a real kick out of this. He loves hummingbirds and we have a couple of feeders at our house. At times we can get up to 10 of the hummers flying around. :D We live in Fairfield, CA. Right between SF and Sac. But yes, awesome work on this vid. I bet you could get this played on tv!

[jcmegabyte]

Sounds like you have even more birds there than I do! I've seen some amazing Hummingbird swarm videos on YouTube, and I wish I got that many here!

Maybe one day some of these will make it to commercial broadcast but the way things are going, YouTube will be the number-one media before long!

Thanks so much for watching and commenting :-)

[DelisaProductions]

AMAZING VIDEO!! Wow, I just love this. Hummingbirds are so beautiful, but also very elusive. How you managed to film them is beyond me.

[jcmegabyte]

Filming most wildlife takes a LOT of patience - I've spent weeks getting this footage, experimenting, waiting for the darned brids to show up, etc! Hahahaha XD Thanks so much for watching and the great comment :-)

[SimpleThingsOfLife]

I like so much your videos. This one is AMAZING. You have beautiful pics ;-) Thank you for posting

5 stars!

[jcmegabyte]

I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed this one - thanks for watching and the great comment! :-)

[myjugsarehuge]

Beautiful birds, the colours on his throat are spectacular. Really well done 5*s all the way.

[jcmegabyte]

It took a lot of tries and variations in the light setup to finally get that purple throat band to light up! Thanks for stopping by and the nice comment :-)

[waywardmuse]

So vivid some almost look animated. Definitely looks like they're swimming in air, and when they hover, you can see it's identical to "treading" air like treading water. Fascinating! Thanks

[jcmegabyte]

It's interesting to see much like water air is, only a bit thinner! I will hopefully have some even higher speed footage of these little guys soon! Thanks for stopping by :-)

[loveyoutodeathbut6]

I never thought I would be so close to a HB, wow =O

[jcmegabyte]

If you get seasonal hummingbirds in your area you should be able to bring them in by putting a feeder within a few inches of your window. Then you can press your nose up against the glass to see them up close, although sometimes you have to hide behind a curtain or blinds unless you can stand really still :-)

[OrbVroomer]

Great shots ! Beautiful !

How close was the camera to the feeder ?

I'm a real novice with a camera.I have a feeder about 20' away from my windows.But windows & screens ruin my shots.I keep forgetting to remedy that.Then I see a good shot & open the back door.Bye bye birdies.I have a red headed woodpecker coming several times a day to feed.I really want to get a shot of it. Any tips ?

[jcmegabyte]

Most of these shots were taken within 24" of the feeder. I had 150w lights set up within 6" of the birds to help capture the irridescent feathers and brighten the shot since the high-speed shutter severely reduces the light level. Sometimes I shoot through the window and other times I take the camera outside. Either way a lot of patience is necessary! :-) A tripod is absolutely mandatory, and manually pre-setting the focus and aperature and locking them in place helps a lot, too. Good luck!

[OrbVroomer]

Thanks a lot !

Super talented & a super nice guy.

You captured that purple neck --it almost looked 'fake'.I knew it wasn't ,though.

I thought shooting through the glass wrecked the image.I was lucky & caught a squirrel in mid-air.But the image was bad-I could see reflection or blurring off the glass..or something.I have no idea what I'm doing.

[jcmegabyte]

I learned most of what I know by just goofing around with different things. Shooting through glass can be tricky but it helps to have clean glass and everything inside the room as dark as possible. Even the camera lens will reflect light back onto the glass (you can see a little fo that in my vid) so sometimes backing-off from the glass a bit will change the angle enough to avoid that. Using the telephoto and telemacro settings helps get you close without scaring the subjects :-)

[GeraldBoyClassical]

Wow, that purple band on the black-chinned takes your breath away.

[jcmegabyte]

Those were difficult shots to get - I had to set up lights within inches of the feeder to make the purple band light up, and even then I only go really short bits. Thanks for watching!

[amarcordeon]

Spectacular and interesting

Thanks for this wonderful video

*****

Lillo

[jcmegabyte]

So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for checking it out :-)

[blackbettyfan]

a lovely video. 5*

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much! :-)

[kclama]

Amazing motions, great shot.

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for dropping by and the kind words :-)

[avalvira]

Hey JC! I was missing the hummingbirds! Glad to see 'em back and as exquisite as ever!! Hope all is well with you, my friend...Take care!

~~Aileen

[jcmegabyte]

Hi Aileen - good to hear from you! Thanks for stopping by and checking this one out. I'll be along to visit you soon... Have a great weekend! =)

[kamaro7777]

頭がまったくぶれない　すごい

能力はそれぞれだがたいしたもんだ

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for watching :-)

[thenoize]

Nice one JCM... dont get them over here sadly.

[jcmegabyte]

Makes me glad that I can at least bring them to you online! Thanks for watching and commenting :-)

[molly1481]

Wow Fantastic ***********

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks Molly! :-)

[floydstinkyboy]

excellent!

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks! :-)

[64mung]

The photography here is simply amazing! If I saw this in a movie, I would have to say that it was made using CGI :)

Fantastic work, jcm!

*****

64m >:-)

[jcmegabyte]

Funny how the high speed shutter gives them an almost artificial look! Thanks for for the great comment! :-)

[SimpleThingsOfLife]

AMAZING 5/5

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much for watching and commenting! =)

[destroyahdes]

Love the music as always. Arg, but the liquifying effect on the wings tends to drive me nuts since I know how a hummer's wing moves. The males are so bright. I finally saw a male ruby throat for the first time this year.

[jcmegabyte]

I'm still working on getting that high-speed camera so I can really slow these birds down properly! That odd bent/fluid motion is pretty cool but you're right - it doesn't show how the birds' wings operate properly.

I really like the irridescence of the males, too. That was probably one of the real "hooks" which got me interested in watching/filming these little birds in the first place, besides their amazing flight ability! :-)

[Nudophobia]

Beautiful.

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much! =D

[Nudophobia]

Oh, and uhm. Do you happen to know what kind of places Hawk Moths like to burry before they begin their pupa stage?

[jcmegabyte]

Hawk (Sphinx) moths usually like to find some soft, damp earth into which the caterpillar burrows down several inches. Once at the desired depth (which varies between species) they make a silk-reinforced pupation chamber and then settle in for the pupation process. :-)

[Nudophobia]

Thank you!

[bzfan]

Very awesome quality and beautiful birds! I wish Texas had more hummingbirds.

[jcmegabyte]

From what I've read, there are quite a few cool hummingbird species in Texas, but I think it helps to live in a forested area - they tend to like trees/bushes rather than flat, open plains. Still, you might be somewhere near a migration route and if so you could be swarmed with them at the right times of year! =)

[mamamialove]

I have several at my house. I only use sugar water.. in a red glass container....not food coloring in it...is there any other liquid we can give them?

I just so appreciate this vid..keep up the good work for mother nature.

[jcmegabyte]

I've read that plain old 25% sugar in water solution is the best thing you can give them. Boiled to sterilize it is even better.

Artificial diets/mixes and even honey in water is said to have potential problems.

Apparently, they get all the other nutrients they need from natural nectar sources and all those little gnats they eat! :-)

[MoviesMusicNature]

Wow! What an incredible video. It is so cool to see these hummingbirds at such a slow pace and be able to see the beauty they hold. Very nice, Thanks for sharing this with us..

[jcmegabyte]

In all the years I've watched these little birds at my feeder, I never really got to look at them in detail until I made these videos - it was like discovering them all over again! Thanks for watching and commenting =)

[Iquezeuse]

It's amazing what aerial control they have. I find it especially fascinating that they manage to keep their head completely still most of the time.

Funny enough, you could almost mistake this for a badly made computer animated hummingbird =)

[jcmegabyte]

I was noticing all the interesting artifacts that the camera/MPEG compression introduces into the mix, too... The weird bend in the wings, the ghosted wing bits every now and then, and of course that cool stop-motion effect when the shutter catches the wings at exactly the spot in the stroke each frame! Cool stuff! :-)

[apaporis]

Tus viedeos siempre son fabulosos saludos desde Alemania

[jcmegabyte]

Thank you very much for the great comment! :-)

[kalacaw]

Oh wow! Thank you for this opportunity. We have the ruby-throated here. That's the only species I see. When I went to California, I made it a point to look for hummingbirds, and I'd love to visit Arizona some day for the same reason.

This is absolutely wonderful.

[jcmegabyte]

I tihnk the Ruby-Throated is the most common (or perhaps the ONLY) species in much of the eastern US. Here in southern CA, we have 4 or 5 species and I hear there are even more in AZ. Some places in AZ are on the migratory route of many species so they get HUGE numbers at certain times of year! There is a great BBC vid on it - check this out: v=ujN4osRD22E

:-)

[kalacaw]

Thanks! I have never seen so many at once! I have taken a recent interest in pollinating animals, and bees in particular, but birdwatching was my entrance into the world of nature observation. I spent most of my time in a particular man-made fresh water wetland in Alexandria, Virginia, but I've birded a few places in the surrounding area as well, maybe in a two hundred mile radius.

You're really a valuable asset to the YT community, you know. Thank you for sharing that link with me. :)

[rahmoore]

Just lovely!!! You did a wonderful job filming. They are breathtaking to watch. Fiesty little guys, too... so territorial. We don't have the black-chinned here. I'd  love to see one up close. Your vids are the next best thing!!!

[jcmegabyte]

It's great having the variety of species here - especially when the colorful males come around. I'm still working on my lighting/filming setup so that (hopefully) when I get my high speed equipment I can get some truely amazing shots. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[rahmoore]

I think you're already getting some truely amazing shots! Can't wait to see more!

[megansspark]

wonderful study of these little creatures :)

[jcmegabyte]

Indeed they are fascinating - especially when slowed down. Thanks for watching!  =)

[fuzzycabin]

Wonderful! I love the leisurely way they eat. :)

[jcmegabyte]

It's funny how it seems like they're enjoying a nice day out at the feeder, but in reality, each time they back away from the feeder, they're looking around for other hummingbirds preparing to dive-bomb them! They're very aggressive and fight constantly. They really do put on quite a show! :-)

[aredditor]

Hello, jc. I don't have a feeder in my backyard, but I do have a swimming pool that has clouds of gnats over it when it's warm, and humming birds frequently feed on the gnats. They just pick them right out of the sky. During a nearby brush fire when it was raining ashes at my home, there was one picking the ashes from the sky as they drifted down.

They also do an amazing display by swooping up and down at very high speed in a giant U shaped pattern. To attract a mate?

[jcmegabyte]

Sounds like you've been paying close attention to these birds' activities! Indeed they do get most of their protein from small flying insects, and also use spiderwebs to bind their nests together.

Males perform the high-speed "U" dives to impress the girls. Usually, females sit on an exposed twig with a good view and the male blasts past her to show-off his speed and strength. I've read that the high-pitched whistle in the dive is made by air blasting through his tailfeathers. :-)

[taofledermaus]

I have noticed that the aggressive males will also do the "U-shaped" diving pattern when another male is in his territory and has taken refuge in a tree. I was able to film it in slow motion and it's quite interesting to see the hummer doing hammerhead stalls, and coasting with his wings completely tucked in. I'm hoping JCM will get the same camera I own and be able to film the HS stuff using his excellent camera work.

[jcmegabyte]

I've seen the males U-dive the girls in a courtship display but haven't seen them try to intimidate other males that way yet. It stands to reason that they would though, since the dive is basically a demostration of speed and strength. I am hoping to get to see the vibration of the tailfeathers which are said to make that whistling sound in the dive. It should be interesting to see what else becomes visible when they are slowed-down enough to see properly! :-)

[taofledermaus]

I have yet to see any females around my yard, just 2 or 3 smaller males. I believe the females are noticably larger than the males, with far less coloring? I've seen the males fluff up their bodies and spread out their tail feathers quite a bit trying to look like an AA sized battery instead of a AAA... haha

[jcmegabyte]

The females of most species look a lot alike and are about the same size and shape as the males, but without the irridescent headgear. Girls have green backs, off-white/gray throats/bellies and sometimes a few irridescent red feathers in the center of their throats. Most all females have rounded tails with a few white spots at the tips, where most males have triangular or pointed, dark brown tailfeathers. Both sexes can be equally aggressive - mean little birdies! :-]

[taofledermaus]

AH! That makes sense. I just need to be more observant. I believe in my "Agressive" video the close up shots I took must be a female, and at the beginning, the male is attacking the female. They really are little unsocial jerks! Thanks for clearing that up.

[friendstacy]

beautiful

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks Stacy! :-)

[imdanhoover]

amazing as always...great video...

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks a bunch for watching! =)

[BigLoveZone]

wow, you did such a GREAT job! I found out how territorial they are when I hung feeders out. Very entertaining birds.

[jcmegabyte]

You're not kidding! I wish I could follow them in flight with the camera weel enough to see what's happening when they perform their aerial battles! :-)

[delfinoerrante]

;-)

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

[metrolady72]

wow! amazing

[jcmegabyte]

Indeed they are - thanks for watching! :-)

[bios36]

Your videos really amaze me, excellent my friend

Rick

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much, Rick! Have a great week  =)

[ronaldsmusicfactory]

breakin 3 Slow Motion Hummingbirds ,

awsome

[jcmegabyte]

Maybe it could be a TV series? Hahahaha XD

As long as they keep coming, I'll keep filming them! :-)

[richardclaxtoncni]

Slow motion video like this makes me appreciate how these birds keep air born,

Regards Richard

[jcmegabyte]

Thats for sure! Thanks for visiting :-)

[no2hate]

awesome! peace2u! eric

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for watching! :-)

[waitswatcher]

great!!!

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks!  =D

[Austenmad24]

rrrr, beautiful i love it! :)

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for checking it out! =)

[menchulica]

great to watch how the wings curve

[jcmegabyte]

That is an interesting effect, but I think it's mostly an effect of the camera/shutter/CMOS sensor scan pattern rather than the birds' wings bending. I think that they DO bend a little, but not that much. I'll know more after I get a faster camera! :-)

[marylynncleveland]

ohhhh...my favorites. the hummingbirds. i would never know otherwise of their purple neckbands. lovely video.

[jcmegabyte]

Only the Black-Chinned males have those purple neckbands, and they are great at keeping it a secret. It's one of the most difficult shots to get of all the hummingbirds I've filmed so far. Glad you enjoyed! :-)

[anmoose]

Magnificent footage, once again. It's hard to truly appreciate them in real time, because they move so fast you can't even see what they're doing. This gives you a chance to absorb it.

[jcmegabyte]

Absolutely - and if I ever find a good source to buy that Casio EX-F1 high-speed camera, I should REALLY be able to slow them down for an amazing show! Thanks for watching :-D

[yorkandpomona]

amazing both the birds and the video

[jcmegabyte]

Indeed - they're amazing - thanks for the view and great comment! :-)

[mettanc]

i just moved my feeder to a really cool spot, now i see them all the time....they always amaze me.

michael

[jcmegabyte]

Mine's right up against the window (about 12" away) so I can press my nose (and camera) right up against the glass for a great view! I never get tired of watching the colorful little winged bullets :-)

[Budgiekens]

Whoa, I think if I had the option to be something else for a day, I would be a bird. I'd like to fly like that. =P

Excellent video! :)

[jcmegabyte]

I've felt that way pretty much all my life. What great fun that would be! :-)

[martijnbmx]

Wow, Really great to watch.. I allways tought the wings went up and down, but he's swinging them back and fort.. Keep em coming JC, 5*

[jcmegabyte]

Those wings are amazingly agile and it's cool to see what they're doing when you slow them down enough! Thanks for the view and comment :-)