A visit to The Nature Conservancy’s Patagonia and Sonoita Creek Preserve south of Madera Canyon on Wednesday was quite an experience. We spent most of the day at the visitors center where the patio’s hummingbird feeders attracted lots of gorgeous hummers. This Violet-crowned Hummingbird was most cooperative and he had attitude! He appeared to be the dominant hummer in the area and for most of the day, he was the only Violet-crowned hummer there. Most of the other hummers there were Broad-billed hummers. When another Violet-crowned perched near one of the feeders, this tough guy stared him down and ultimately chased him off. Here he is, with his tough-guy stare, stretching and drying off after an incredible monsoon downpour that flooded the patio. Thunder was so loud after one lightning bolt that we all flinched at the sound. It must have struck something very close.
We took our hummingbird photo rigs with us to Patagonia. Nikon D5, 500mm PF lens, two SB5000 Speed lights with Impact soft boxes.
