You might have been at it for days, and still only a pic here and there. It seems every time you have the hummer in the viewfinder, focus sharp, and the arrangement of elements just perfect, you push the shutter release only to capture an empty frame. That’s because these speeding bullets might change direction, or more often, are being chased or are chasing another hummer the moment you want the photograph. It can get to ya I’m here to tell you!

Then, for the hundredth time, it all seems to align in the viewfinder, and you go to press the shutter release, and the hummer is still there! You take a second, third, fifth, tenth shot, and the hummer is still there in the viewfinder! It’s dancing for the camera providing angles and attitude and lots of color! The hummer in your viewfinder is just hovering in place, giving you the thrill of a lifetime, a moment you can’t believe your eyes, you’re enjoying. And then as soon as it came, it’s gone, but you count your good fortune. It’s why I keep going out over and over again. it’s the joys of wildlife photography! Cause after all the failures, the moment comes.

The Mountain Goat is an amazing critter that literally hangs out in some of the most rugged and inaccessible locales in North America’s northern regions. For many years last decade, we would travel to Glacier Nat’l Park to have opportunities to be with them. Now, they literally live in our backyard, that’s if you can go vertical seven thousand feet. These billys were over in the Gallentins doing what Goats do at least once a day, if not twice, and that’s to come down to water. The high perches where they spend most of their day tend to be quite dry once the summer sun comes. There’s very little, if any, free water, so they go to the water. They still had their winter coats last month when I photographed them, making the summer heat even more intense. Making shots so they look their best and not moth-eaten is a challenge.

Photographing them in all their splendor with full, clean, white coats has long been a desire of mine. Finding the local in winter where I can make that happen has been though unsuccessful so far, which is a disappointment. Hopefully, we can make that happen. Until then, I take enjoyment in seeing them when I can during the long summer in white.

Many of us have experienced the hummingbird feeding frenzy at a feeder. There always seems to be one hummer that spends most of its time chasing the other hummers away. At Madera Canyon, you have a hundred hummers wanting to feed, so there are many hummers trying to claim the feeders as theirs. The bedlam can be dizzying! This makes for great flying hummer photography opportunities. And if you look carefully, you’ll see those individuals who take a different tack to the whole process. This immature Black-chinned is one of those individuals. I have no doubt it’s just my imagination, but at times, it seemed to try to bullying with body gestures, and at other times, misdirect chasers to pursue an individual so it could eat unharrassed. I watched it do this multiple times from different perches. The one time it selected a perch where I had a clear shot, I had already seen its antics, so I was ready for them. The whole time I watched it, in my mind it was saying to every hummer, mine, mine, mine!

They are such dynamos! Hummingbirds’ constant playing of Tag has them jetting about seemingly nonstop. This is so much fun to watch and makes photographing them a super challenge. This year at Madera Canyon, the Z180-600 helped in that quest, providing flexibility as they got closer and further away from the camera. There are a couple of images I’ve desired for years that I still haven’t added to my library, but this one gives some hint of that. When Hummers change direction in flight on a pinhead, their tail goes up, their head goes down, and the wings come forward. It’s their position for a power dive. Every so often, they do a power climb as you see here. The big visual difference is the “determination” in their gesture. That’s what I’m after, and for another year, I didn’t come home with it. That’s OK, there is always tomorrow when I will be again, up, up and away!