Hummingbirds
The paradox is that Hummingbirds SHOULD be the most difficult and elusive of all birds to photograph. They are so small, quick, and, well..., buzzy. The truth is that they are among the easiest of all wild birds to photograph. They predictably return, as in every few minutes, to feeders or favored flowers. They hover, quite motionless, even though their wingbeats are a blur. And they are quite fearless and tolerant when it comes to humans. Because of this happy intersection of circumstances, and with the freeze effect of modern shutter speeds and strobes, we get to see Hummers up close and personal like no other birds of their size, far more intimately than was ever possible with the human eye alone.
Identification of Hummingbird species if often quite difficult unless one is talking about adult males. Many experts refuse to even try when talking about pictures of females or sub-adults. There is, in this series, taken at feeders in Wamic and The Dalles, Oregon, a Black-chinned male and a Calliope male that I am sure of. Beyond that, speculate away. There is, I believe, a Rufous female and several first year young, and an Anna's female and subadult male. That is simply offered as a starting point. But I am hardly an expert and shouldn't speculate when the experts refuse to.
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