2023—The Interloper

Today is the first day of shooting hummingbirds at Madera Canyon, Arizona and Saturday was my last day of shooting at home to get ready for today. This is one of the birds that the male Anna’s Hummingbird in my garden considers an interloper. She is a female Black-chinned Hummingbird who was either so acclimated to me or so desperate from being chased away by the male Anna’s that she remained at the feeder even though I walked outside while she was there. My camera was already in position and I didn’t see her at first. She stopped feeding and looked at me, then returned to fill up on nectar. The Anna’s was not around so she continued to feed for quite a while. One of the things I find difficult when photographing hummers at a feeder is keeping the feeder out of the frame while keeping the bird in a good position in the frame. Sometimes the hummers will back away far enough from the feeder so I not only keep the feeder out of the frame but get the bird in a good place in the frame. That didn’t happen Saturday but I got close. I am looking forward to lots more opportunities here in Madera Canyon.