This guy took a keen liking to our feeder at our campsite this past weekend. So much so in fact, he pretty much kept all other interested hummingbirds away, something which they are known to do. I failed at getting any decent flight shots but did manage some decent ones as he stood guard. Taken in Arapaho National Forest.

We’ve been busy putting the wraps on planning our summer and so my mind is naturally drifting toward some of the photo subjects that time of year. Among the highlights of the Colorado high country are these little guys. This particular Hummingbird (a Rufous?) took to hanging out at our campsite in Lake County and gave me some nice shots, including this one when it was isolated on a long branch.

Going back to August when we were camping in Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado. We had put out our hummingbird feeders and were enjoying watching the little birds come by and grab a drink. This one though seemed to think the feeders belonged to it and it alone. It would perch in the nearby bushes and the second another hummingbird approached it would chase it off. Lots of fun to watch but with as fast as they move, not easy to keep up with.

Hummingbird frozen in flight. Catching images of any bird in flight is tough but these little ones have got to be the hardest. They fly at extraordinary speed and their flight patterns highly erratic. Normally I do a passable job with them when they visit for the summer but this year struggled most of the time. On this day in August though, I managed this shot as the Hummingbird flew in and hovered just for a brief instant.

Taken in Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado.

I haven’t had much luck getting pictures of Hummingbirds the last couple of years. This past weekend I did my best, even setting up a feeder at my campsite. We had a few visitors to it but not many and definitely few that wanted their picture taken. One however, just as we were packing up, came by for a visit and let me get a pretty nice closeup as it took a break from feeding.

As the sun came over the horizon on this morning the mercury had dipped to the low 40s.  Nature was starting to wake up and birds were making lots of noise and setting about their daily activities.  This little Rufous Hummingbird however was in no rush to get moving seemingly preferring to just sit and take in the warming sun’s rays.

Taken in Arapaho National Forest, Colorado.

I spent this weekend up in the Colorado high country and unfortunately didn’t take too many pics.  I did grab a few of the hummingbirds that were visiting our feeder though and this one I found kind of amusing.

Taken this past August in Colorado State Forest State Park. These little birds are incredible fliers known for their precision maneuverability and intolerance of other hummingbirds that might intrude on its territory.

It takes a lot of luck to capture these fast-movers in flight, let alone in a pose like this. This Rufous Hummingbird in Colorado State Forest State Park was kind enough to give me a chance for some nice shots.  The low, bright evening sun allowed me to use a high shutter speed (1/3200) to help freeze the action.

Military pilots initiate sessions of head-to-head aerial combat training with that simple phrase. It seems appropriate for this picture of two hummingbirds who are about to begin a duel over who maintains control of a local area.

Captured Sunday in Pike National Forest (Colorado), these two went at it dodging and darting with each trying to gain the upper hand and drive the other off. Lots of fun to watch, very hard to follow and get a picture of.