Hummingbird Hawk-moth | Nature and Wildlife photos

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Hummingbird Hawk-moth

October 12, 2012
1:15 pm

Glenn72

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October 11, 2012

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Canon 450d
Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro
Aperture f/2.8
Shutter Speed 1/800 second
ISO 200

Was in the tiny town of Os de Balaguer, Spain buying wine from a local winery when I noticed this very strange creature sucking down the pollen from the flowers. At first I thought it was a hummingbird however after looking at it further I realized it was different. A bit of research on the internet and I found out that it is a Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum). I find it a bit interesting that 1/800 of a second was not fast enough to completely freeze the wings as shown in the blur in the picture.
Previously I tried to capture these in the South of France and was unsuccessful with the Canon EF-S 55-250 due to the slow focusing speed. The 100L macro proved to be fast enough as he was busy eating and didn´t seem to mind a few photos taken.

October 14, 2012
5:07 pm

easyexposure

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OMG! I just love this image and the fact that you didn’t freeze the wings, but got his body in focus, adds so much interest. Colors are great too. Thanks for sharing!

October 14, 2012
6:48 pm

Glenn72

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Thanks Oksana, this was my favorite photo that I took last year as I feel it was one of those once in a lifetime opportunities and glad that I had my camera and macro lens with me.