>
Hummingbirds
There are several hummingbird images in the Nature gallery. All were taken in our yard, and each is somewhat opportunistic. It takes more shots to get a keeper, and it requires well-planned focus zones, etc. I usually use the Nikon when I am trying to shoot hummingbirds. Today, after seeing a few more re-appear for spring, I decided to refresh their liquid food in the several feeders around the house. As I removed one of the two feeders in the front next to the fountain, a black-throated hummingbird appeared and began feeding at several of the locations on the feeder, including perching on one spot with hie back to me. He couldn't have been more than two feet away. He seemed unperturbed, even comfortable with me there. When he hovered up and zig-zagged to the other side, facing me, I held out my hand. After a few seconds of contemplation, he darted forward and lit briefly—it could not have been more than a second—on my fingertips. His wings never stopped, but the feeling and the moment were electric. Then, another hummingbird swooped in, briefly tangling with but then chased off by the first. It was unphotographed, and no less amazing.
