I’m leaving in a few days for Madera Canyon in Arizona to photograph the hummingbirds that migrate through that canyon. It’s always a fun trip because we don’t see most of those hummers here in California. It’s been a while since I’ve photographed the Anna’s Hummingbirds that stay here year round and I knew that a little practice before traveling to Madera Canyon wouldn’t hurt so I set up my hummingbird rig and went out onto the patio. I no sooner stepped out and a female Anna’s flew to the feeder while I adjusted my settings. Then it was only moments before a male swooped in and chased the female away. Lucky for me he settled onto a small twig above the feeder to keep his eyes on it. He stayed put for a while but the wind was wreaking havoc and the nearby leaves were blowing back and forth, causing the sun to streak through intermittently and light up his face but not in a good way. I managed a few shots while the direct light stayed off his face. I watched for his gorget to light up but it never did completely. He finally flew to the feeder then disappeared to watch the feeder from the shadows. I found the wind to be too distracting so I, too, disappeared to the shadows of my house.