Photo Essay: Hungry Hummingbirds at Chelemhá Lodge, Guatemala

We had a lot of fun watching an impossibly colorful male quetzal emerge from its nest in the privately-run Chelemhá Cloud Forest Reserve in the Yalijax Mountains of the Alta Verapaz region of Guatemala. However, the color, diversity and sheer appetite of the hummingbirds drawn to the feeders on the wrap-around decks at Chelemhá Lodge were thrilling as well. Here are just some of the hummingbird species that happily call Chelemhá home.

Amethyst throated and Magnificent Hummingbird - Chelumha, Guatemala

An amethyst throated hummingbird (left) and a magnificent hummingbird at Chelemhá Lodge in Guatemala.

Magnificent Hummingbird - Chelumha, Guatemala

A magnificent hummingbird at Chelemhá Lodge in Guatemala.

Hummingbird feeding - Chelumha, Guatemala

A hungry hummingbird at Chelemhá Lodge in Guatemala.

Magnificent Hummingbirds - Chelumha, Guatemala

Magnificent hummingbirds at Chelemhá Lodge in Guatemala.

Amethyst throated hummingbird - Chelumha, Guatemala

An amethyst throated hummingbird at Chelemhá Lodge in Guatemala.

Garnet throated hummingbird - Chelumha, Guatemala

A garnet throated hummingbird at Chelemhá Lodge in Guatemala.

Green throated Mountain gem hummingbird - Chelumha, Guatemala

A green throated mountain gem hummingbird at Chelemhá Lodge in Guatemala.

Hummingbird

Getting to the food quickly.

Hummingbirds - Giatemala

Hungry hummingbirds at Chelemhá Lodge in Guatemala.

Magnificent Hummingbirds

A magnificent hummingbird at Chelemhá Lodge in Guatemala.

Violet Sabrewing Hummingbird - Chelumha, Guatemala

A violet sabrewing hummingbird at Chelemhá Lodge in Guatemala.

Magnificent Hummingbirds - Chelumha, Guatemala

Magnificent hummingbirds at Chelemhá Lodge in Guatemala.

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22 Comments

  1. John February 13, 2012 at 7:25 pm - Reply

    Amazing that you were able to capture their wings frozen in the frame. Nicely done.

  2. Krystal February 14, 2012 at 7:59 am - Reply

    The photographer is perfect, the hungry humming birds are beautiful

  3. Adrian February 14, 2012 at 8:37 am - Reply

    Nice captures, especially since these guys can be pretty fast :)

  4. Tom Stockwell February 14, 2012 at 9:03 am - Reply

    Love these photos – such tiny, beautiful creatures. The colours are extraordinary – they look like little jewels with wings!

  5. Cathy Sweeney February 15, 2012 at 12:13 pm - Reply

    Hummingbirds are such fascinating little birds. You captured them beautifully in your pics.

  6. Jarmo February 15, 2012 at 4:04 pm - Reply

    Woah, nice photos, they are such beautiful birds. Now I want to go take photos of humming birds!

  7. Claire February 15, 2012 at 8:43 pm - Reply

    Beautiful Photos! I tried to get a picture of one once but they are so fast, it didn’t turn out.

  8. Dayna February 16, 2012 at 8:44 am - Reply

    Wow. I have never seen so many incredible photos of hummingbirds! What an amazing experience.

  9. Ayngelina February 16, 2012 at 8:49 am - Reply

    You are good, I can never seem to catch hummingbirds in photos, they are too fast for me!

  10. Peter February 17, 2012 at 12:35 am - Reply

    Stunning photos! What gear did you use?

    cheers

  11. Christy February 17, 2012 at 10:09 pm - Reply

    Beautiful! Hummingbirds are really difficult to photograph. :)

  12. Bret February 18, 2012 at 8:48 am - Reply

    Great shots, Eric! Reminds me of my time at Monteverde in Costa Rica, in the hummingbird garden at the gift shop there. I’d never seen so many hummingbirds in one place before…

    • Karen & Eric - Trans-Americas Journey February 28, 2012 at 12:03 pm - Reply

      We were recently at the same spot in Monteverde where I shot a whole lot more. I’m sure I’ll ave another galleries worth when we catch up to that on the blog.

  13. Turtle February 19, 2012 at 11:36 am - Reply

    Wow – great shots. You really get the sense of the action in them. How far away from them were you?

  14. cheryl February 27, 2012 at 3:24 am - Reply

    Ohhh so pretty! Love these hummingbird photos. Such beautiful and fascinating creatures.

  15. Sherry March 7, 2012 at 7:03 pm - Reply

    So beautiful and colorful – you are indeed a photo genius to be able to capture them in their delicate movements.

  16. Denise September 26, 2025 at 1:45 pm - Reply

    Beautiful! Gorgeous!! Thank you for these photos.

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