Arizona Photography

 There are so many hummingbirds at the sanctuary right now, it is really difficult to isolate a single bird in a photo.  Of course, this keeps the crowds coming, many from other states.  I met a couple from Minnesota who have a condo in Green Valley, a very popular community directly south of Tucson.  I would have thought that was strictly for winter use, but here they are in summer, drawn by the hummingbirds. I have been trying to position myself where the backgrounds are better, particularly for the  hummingbirds.  Nothing is more annoying in an otherwise good photo than a busy background.  However, birds go where they choose without regard to my wishes.   Broad-billed (M) Broad-billed (J) Broad-tailed (F) Bewick's Wren Rock Squirrel Lesser Goldfinch (M) Acorn Woodpecker (M) Inca Dove Bullock's Oriole (F) Spiny Lizard Chipping Sparrow Curve-billed Thrasher Lucifer (M) Rivoli's (F) Rivoli's (M) House Finch (M) House Finch (F) Black-headed Grosbea...

 The number of hummingbirds at the sanctuary has increased once again, including three species I had not seen so far this year.  Word has obviously gotten out, and the people are here in droves, bolstered by a group tour from the Tucson Birding Festival sponsored each year by the Audubon Society.  It was so crowded, in fact, that there were no empty seats in the main area when I arrived.  Since I was told the Rivoli's has started appearing daily, I went first to the "lower yard" where I've seen it in past years.  Unfortunately, that area is very shady, making it more of a challenge to get good photos.When it comes to such a special bird, I figure a poor photo is better than no photo. With some birds, it's almost impossible to distinguish between a female and an immature male.  Therefore, I've captioned those as "F/J".  The three new species are the Rivoli's, Costa's and Calliope.  The Rivoli's is the largest hummingbird in North America, ...