After a disappointing unsuccessful first day of photographing hummingbirds in Madera Canyon, a few changes in our approach made a huge difference on Day 2 and I gained confidence as I was able to successfully capture a few birds in flight. Moose discovered that keeping the camera on Auto Area AF continuously while focused on a tiny part of the feeder in the lower corner of the frame gave us a much higher success rate because the advanced focusing system would quickly grab onto the bird as it flew into the frame. The problem with this method is that the camera battery on my D500 drained much more quickly because it was constantly seeking focus. Our two flash lighting set up illuminated the purple gorget of the Black-chinned Hummingbird as it approached the feeder.
