Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch

Subject: Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Place: Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, AZ, USA
Date: April 2004
Equipment: Nikon N90S, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8, 27.5 mm extension, TC14 (1.4x converter), tripod
Film: Fujichrome Sensia 100
Exposure: Aperture priority center-weighted meter, fill flash @ -1.7
Scan: Minolta Dimage, full frame

Commentary: This nest is within 2 feet of the main trail at my favorite AZ park, and sat undisturbed while I watched from about 8-10 feet away. The background is an overhanging wall of rock which gives this nice color.

The hardest part of this shot was finding a shooting position that gave a clean view of the nest and kept the beak from overlapping with the nearby branches. Another concern was the shadows cast on the bird and nest from other branches and leaves. The flash, mounted on a remote flash cord, was held at arm's length in a variety of positions to give options in the final image.