{"id":58113,"date":"2019-05-24T06:50:14","date_gmt":"2019-05-24T12:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=58113"},"modified":"2024-09-23T04:46:12","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T09:46:12","slug":"male-broad-tailed-hummingbirds-on-their-favorite-perches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/05\/24\/male-broad-tailed-hummingbirds-on-their-favorite-perches\/","title":{"rendered":"Male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds On Their Favorite Perches"},"content":{"rendered":"

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds show a preference in the perches that they use to rest, to keep an eye on their territories and once they select a favorite perch it can be like striking gold for a bird photographer. Or for the people that are shown these favorite perches.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Broad-tailed Hummingbird giving me the eye from his favorite perch – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/640, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains I knew of one Broad-tailed Hummingbird’s favorite perch where reliably I saw a hummingbird perched on it.<\/p>\n

When there wasn’t any other traffic on the road I could stop, and take photos of the little flying jewel as he perched, took off and landed back on it. If I heard another hummingbird flying close to the perch I could almost count on the male taking off to chase the other bird away. This photo was taken on May 30, 2018.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Broad-tailed Hummingbird watching a rival from his favorite perch – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This photo was taken on June 20, 2018 at the same favorite perch. While I can’t be 100% certain that is was the same male Broad-tailed Hummingbird I photographed that day chances are that it was if<\/em> he was able to successfully defend his territory each time he was challenged.<\/p>\n

If it is a different male I think it is fascinating because he may have selected the same favorite perch to defend his territory. The perch has a great, open view of everything around it so that may be why it was selected.<\/p>\n

For me as a photographer I love that the background is a gradient of greens from distant willows and that the bird stands out well from it. The perch is close to the edge of the road and I can have an unobstructed view of any bird perched there.<\/p>\n

The one issue with this perch is that it is next to one of the narrowest sections of the road in that canyon and when another car approaches I have to move to allow the vehicle to get by. That means missed shots and constantly having to pay attention to other traffic moving up or down the road.<\/p>\n

So far this year I haven’t seen a hummingbird on this perch but perhaps I will soon.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Broad-tailed Hummingbird on his favorite perch in a canyon – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This year I found a male Broad-tailed Hummingbird in another canyon in the Stansbury Mountains<\/span><\/a> that certainly showed that it had a preference for a favorite perch and while I photographed it and the other hummingbirds in the area it went back to the same perch at least a dozen times.<\/p>\n

I can’t be certain it was always the same male each time though because there were several males in the area. If more than one male selected this specific perch it may have been because it was close to the food source but up high and far enough away to give a great, unobstructed view of the Wax Currant bush that the hummingbirds were getting nectar from.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Broad-tailed Hummingbird keeping on eye on his territory from his favorite perch – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This “favorite” perch was also in a location where if other traffic came up or down the road it was too narrow for both vehicles.<\/p>\n

I would love to find a favorite Broad-tailed Hummingbird perch this year where the road is wide enough that I wouldn’t have to move my vehicle or impede traffic if I just stayed in one spot because then I could completely focus on getting images of the birds landing and taking off.<\/p>\n

Why is finding a favorite perch so great?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The hummingbirds can usually be found there reliably,<\/li>\n
  2. When they have a favorite perch the best light angle and time of day to photograph them can easily be calculated,<\/li>\n
  3. The opportunity for photographing them landing, taking off, snoozing or preening increases,<\/li>\n
  4. There is also an increased chance of photographing a territorial dispute between two hummingbirds because they will defend their favorite perch.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If someone shares a hummingbird’s favorite perch with you, feel honored. Be honored.<\/p>\n

    Broad-tailed Hummingbirds are not the only hummingbirds that have favorite perches so finding their favorite perches would be a joy too.<\/p>\n

    Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

    Mia<\/p>\n

    Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my Broad-tailed Hummingbird photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds show a preference in the perches that they use to rest, to keep an eye on their territories and once they select a favorite perch it can be like striking gold for a bird photographer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":134929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,2340,4594,1316,358,26,773,1314],"tags":[4004,2651,10447,6561,7220,6043,7221,2652,4062,10446,2341],"class_list":["post-58113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-broad-tailed-hummingbirds","category-morgan-county","category-stansbury-mountains-utah","category-tooele-county","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","category-west-desert-utah","tag-adult","tag-broad-tailed-hummingbird","tag-cornus-sericea","tag-favorite-perch","tag-favorite-perches","tag-hummingbird","tag-hummingbird-photography","tag-hummingbirds-2","tag-male","tag-red-osier-dogwood","tag-selasphorus-platycercus"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/broad-tailed-hummingbird-male-favorite-perch-mia-mcpherson-5976.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-f7j","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":69122,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/04\/27\/wax-currants-broad-tailed-hummingbirds-and-their-favorite-perches\/","url_meta":{"origin":58113,"position":0},"title":"Wax Currants, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds And Their Favorite Perches","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In just a matter of days Wax Currants will start to bloom in some of the lower elevations of the mountains that aren't far from where I live and that has me excited.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Broad-tailed Hummingbird male resting on a favorite perch, West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/broad-tailed-hummingbird-male-perched-mia-mcpherson-9192.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/broad-tailed-hummingbird-male-perched-mia-mcpherson-9192.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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